PARIS (AP) 鈥� When Jean-Charles de Castelbajac watched as burned in April 2019, he felt compelled to act somehow.
Returning home, the French fashion designer began sketching ideas, imagining the monument鈥檚 reconstruction.
So, when the Paris Archbishop鈥檚 emissary approached him to design the liturgical garments for the cathedral's , Castelbajac 鈥� a believer with personal roots with the church 鈥� felt the moment transcended mere coincidence.
鈥淚t鈥檚 bigger than a job. It鈥檚 a bit mysterious 鈥� mysterious,鈥� Castelbajac said, his eyes brimming with wonder as he previewed some of the 2,000 colorful pieces for 700 celebrants at his Paris home. 鈥淚t's a calling. To be called like that is synchronicity.鈥�
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鈥檚 centuries-old legacy with medieval touches.
The unorthodox designs are fun, modern 鈥� 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.
鈥淚t鈥檚 something that is exploded that reconstructs itself,鈥� Castelbajac said, likening the dissipated shards coming together to the cathedral鈥檚 own rebirth.
The commission was not subject to an open call. Instead, Castelbajac was handpicked by the Catholic leadership, due to his history of designing for the church.
In 1997, he created the rainbow-colored robes worn by Pope John Paul II for World Youth Day in Paris, garments later enshrined in Notre Dame鈥檚 treasury as a relic. That connection carried a special weight during the fire.
鈥淎s I watched the fire, I was thinking, 鈥楢re the relics burning? Are the relics safe?鈥� So my link was not just material. It鈥檚 really a strong spiritual link,鈥� he said.
For Castelbajac, 74, the memory of those two hours in 2019 spent on their knees still evokes both grief and determination.
鈥淚t was not Notre Dame burning. It was hope burning. It was spirituality burning. It was such an intense moment 鈥� I was thinking, what can I do?鈥� he said.
The vestments, which will be worn in liturgies permanently 鈥� forever, as Castelbajac put it 鈥� carry a sense of continuity with his past work. The designs are a variation on the pontiff鈥檚 robes, infused with Castelbajac鈥檚 signature aesthetic: bright, almost childlike hues that evoke optimism.
Castelbajac鈥檚 fascination with color began as a child in a military boarding school in Normandy, an experience he recalled as stifling and gray. 鈥淚t was the absolute loneliness. It was colorless,鈥� he said.
For the young boy, color became a lifeline.
鈥淐olor was like my teddy bear, my transitional element in a world of conflict. Each morning, there was the stained glass in the church and the coats of arms in the refectory that filled my world with primary colors,鈥� he explained.
This obsession would define his career, earning him a reputation as a provocateur in the fashion world.
Castelbajac鈥檚 creations have dressed pop culture royalty for decades: Madonna in her teddy bear coat, Beyonc茅 in sequins, Rihanna in a Donald Duck costume. Collaborating with Andy Warhol, Keith Haring, and Jean-Michel Basquiat, he fused art and fashion into a playground of exuberance.
While his designs have graced runways and music icons, Castelbajac鈥檚 work for Notre Dame strikes a different, more personal chord.
The playful vestments might raise eyebrows among traditional Catholics, but he has no doubt about the faith Notre Dame鈥檚 leadership placed in him. 鈥淢aybe I have the trust of the archbishop,鈥� he mused, reflecting on the 鈥渃arte blanche鈥� he said he received for his designs.
This combination produced a modern-looking body of work that reflects the unity, hope, and rebirth symbolized by Notre Dame itself鈥攋ust like the phoenix-like rooster gleaming like fire atop the newly constructed spire.
When the cathedral reopens on the weekend of Dec. 7-8, Castelbajac hopes the vestments will be viewed by the world as a testament to renewal and the 鈥減ower of color鈥� to heal and inspire.
Thomas Adamson, The Associated Press
