When Jean-Charles de Castelbajac watched as Notre Dame cathedral burned in April 2019, he felt compelled to act. Returning home, the French fashion designer began sketching ideas, imagining the monument's reconstruction. So, when the Paris Archbishop's emissary approached him to design the liturgical garments for the cathedral's reopening next month, Castelbajac — a believer with personal roots with the church — felt the moment transcended mere coincidence.
"It's bigger than a job. It's a bit mysterious ..
. mysterious," Castelbajac said, his eyes brimming with wonder as he previewed some of the 2,000 colorful pieces for 700 celebrants at his Paris home. "It's a calling.
To be called like that is synchronicity." This duty, as he calls it, led to a collection of work crafted in collaboration with the esteemed artisans of 19M studio. The garments, often in thick off-white Scottish wool gabardine, blend his signature eye-popping pop-art aesthetic with a reverence for the cathedral's centuries-old legacy with medieval touches.
The unorthodox designs are fun, modern — and perhaps shockingly minimalist. They undoubtedly break with the richly embellished styles associated with the cathedral's near-900-year-old liturgical garb. At their center is a large gold cross, accented by debris fragments of vivid color-blocked red, blue, yellow, and green velvet.
"It's something that is exploded that reconstructs itself," Castelbajac said, likening the dissipated shards coming together to.