An Irish Girl Abroad

February 18, 2011

What better name for a Catholic priest’s fashion line than Goods of Conscience? Fr. Andrew O’Connor, a designer and artist, with a background in literature — he studied with the renowned critic Seamus Deane in Dublin — set the label up in 2005, after a retreat in Guatemala inspired him to make clothes using special locally-woven Guatemalan threads. Last night, I attended a glamorous celebration of the clothes in the Plaza Hotel, and it was like nothing I’d seen before — the casual fashion show took place at an apartment in the hotel, where photographs of Woody Allen and other celebrities (many signed) adorned the walls; a charming waiter made his way around the room, bearing champagne. Rather than doing the formal catwalk, models dressed in Goods of Conscience garments mingled with everyone else, and in a really nice touch, the female models were mother and daughter — bucking any notion that mature women cannot look gorgeous, and also ensuring that the beautiful young girl was miles away from the exploitation you hear of in the fashion world (her dad was there as well).

Goods of Conscience clothes are pieced together by seamstresses in the Bronx. The story is one I’ve been following for a while, and I’ve visited the workshop, which is in the pristinely clean, airy basement of the Church of the Holy Family at Castle Hill Avenue. The clothes are all fairtrade, and many items have quirky origins; in some, Christian symbols shine through at a certain light and angle; others include cloth bought in Gammarelli’s Ecclesiastical Tailoring in Rome, where the Pope is known to buy his vestments. Of all the pieces, my personal favourite has been a delicate bracelet, made of antique Parisian lace.

They’re cool, affordable (perhaps as a treat) and have their own unique story. Take a look! http://www.goodsofconscience.com/