Mission Statement: Holy Fashion
December 4, 2009
About a year ago, Father Andrew More O’Connor, a Diocesan priest who resides over Bronx parish Holy Trinity, captured the attention of a market editor at Vogue, who, at the time was seeking a simple marriage blessing for her upcoming wedding. What she discovered was that this man of God was also a man of fashion, committed to creating a clothing line that gives back, and at the same time, preserving Mayan artisan techniques facing extinction.
So this past June, Father Andrew’s line, Goods of Conscience, which he founded in 2005 and where he acts as the label’s creative director, received ink in fashion’s good book. The line even made the cover, with sustainability-minded Cameron Diaz sporting a pair of his shorts.
The genesis for Father Andrew’s entering the fashion industry was twofold: He wanted to provide outreach to Guatemala, and he was stirred by Manhattan’s buzzing, creative dervish. But what does a priest know about fashion? “I was making albs in Harlem,” he says. Creating artistically rendered liturgical dreamcoats is a world away from the gospel of fashion, with its rapier-edge reputation. What seams his story together, however, is that the cleric is also an accomplished visual artist.
In fact, Father Andrew studied literature and sculpture at the University of Dallas (the brainy priest has also studied at Wharton, Berkeley and Columbia and speaks five languages). It was through longtime family friend, Dallasite Nancy Marcus, that his line came to hang among the designer racks at venerable Stanley Korshak. So moved by what he was doing, Marcus went to Korshak owner Crawford Brock, who brought the priest in for a showing of his Goods.
The 65-piece line of men’s and women’s apparel is woven from “Social Fabric,” a trademarked cloth that combines strands of reflective yarn with organic Guatemalan cotton, in the tradition of Mayan backstrap weaving. The fabric can’t be replicated, which means the weavers are free of predatory competition. “I don’t want craftsmanship to be stolen by mass production,” Father Andrew asserts. And once the fabric is woven, it’s sent to the Bronx, where seamstresses finish the garments in a former kindergarten classroom that has been repurposed as a workshop.
The modern but relaxed line was designed for comfort and thoughtfully executed—a “missionary aesthetic”—Father Andrew calls it. And this time, the divine is in the details: On his coconut wood buttons are anchor icons, symbolizing hope; and at night, when light catches the metallic threads on his Tribeca jacket, a field of crosses is revealed. “I ride a Vespa, so I came up with this as a reflective device for safety,” he explains. A divinely inspired idea, indeed.
Proceeds from the line are divvied among three charities: Mission Bronx helps fund counseling for inner-city couples and gives underemployed seamstresses a means to earn a living; Mission Guatemala allows for Indian weavers to garner a sustainable wage; and Mission Green teaches children how to sew by hand and learn about recycling and sustainability. “If you’re consuming clothing, you are responsible for the people who make it,” Father Andrew says.
“This little project helps people,” he insists. “People need to be empowered to think that little things they do really can help people.” Amen!
At Stanley Korshak or goodsofconscience.com.
By Stacy Girard | Photography by Dorothy Hong | Modern Luxury Dallas | December 4, 2009
