Filippo Sorcinelli fell in love with the beauty of the Catholic Church as a child in Italy’s Marche region. “I remember seeing the paintings on the wall, the statues, the separate wardrobes for the vestments,” he says, describing his local parish. Today, parishioners around the world feast their eyes on Sorcinelli’s own artistry. As the founder of Atelier LAVS—Laboratorio Atelier Vesti Sacre—he designs and constructs the ecclesiastical vestments, furnishings, and accessories for the Catholic sacred liturgy, including garments for Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis.
Sorcinelli video-calls me from Milan, Italy, with his boyfriend, who helps us translate. At 50, Sorcinelli has an almost otherworldly presence. He’s draped in a simple all-black ensemble, with a shaved head, a dense black beard, and inky eyes.
