Bronx Priest Clothing Designs Featured In Vogue

December 8, 2009

NEW YORK (CBS) ―

There's a fashion designer in the Bronx with a star-studdedlist of fans, but instead of walking the red carpet, you'll have to drop by Holy Family Church in Castle Hill to find this man of the cloth.

Meet Father Andrew, a Roman Catholic priest who knows his fashion.

Cameron Diaz, known as the Queen of Green, wore a pair of his shorts in Vogue when a woman he was helping prepare for marriage happened to be an editor for the magazine.

"This really is an act of God. I didn't plan this," Andrew said.

Vogue's Meredith Melling Burke said eco-friendly fashion is now turning into high fashion, and a lot of celebrities are all for it.

"Sometimes it's a big struggle to get a celebrity to do a cover if they don't have a big movie coming out or something like that, but for a page like that, everyone's on board. So you see everyone really rallying around this, and it's really the right time to be doing so," she said.

Father Andrew's non-profit company is called "Goods Of Conscience." The fabric is a rare cotton hand-woven in Guatemala and hand-sewn by just two women at Holy Family Church.

The money goes to three missions, and the Cameron Diaz spread helped triple sales.

"Parishes in the inner city are poor and they need to find some way to be supported that's dynamic. It's not just simply the recipient of give-outs from richer parishes," said Father Andrew O'Connor.

Father Andrew has always loved art. His sketch book is brimming with ideas, and if you stand next to him, you'll likely become part of the process.

The company sells about 350 pieces a year, and it's a tiny operation so you'll often find Father Andrew in the workshop creating something new.

He always has a sense of humor. "Boy there are going to be some silk screeners out there who are looking at this and saying 'Look at that guy. What a loser," Andrew laughed.

While Goods of Conscience has a website, he is hoping people will come to the church to shop so they can meet the women who make the clothes and learn more about the missions.

The products range from $28 to nearly $1,000.