Very few designers can say that their client is the Pope. But Filippo Sorcinelli can.
While touching his 24-karat gold-plated work, he thinks about the day Pope Benedict XVI wore it.
FILIPPO SORCINELLI
CEO of LAVS Atelier
Without a doubt, our most important projects have been in the service of the Holy See—like covering the apostolic trips of Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis.
One of his latest pieces was the hat worn by Pope Benedict XVI during his funeral.
Before the age of 30, he was already designing for the Holy See. His works combine his innovative approach with the tradition of the Catholic Church.
FILIPPO SORCINELLI
CEO of LAVS Atelier
I use very little decoration but a lot of meaningful symbols, a lot of geometry and a lot of essence.
Geometry plays an important role in his designs. Each garment is made to compliment the place where it will be worn.
For example, this design for Pope Francis for the open August air in L'Aquila differs from the one Filippo made for the Mass inaugurating his pontificate in St. Peter's Square.
FILIPPO SORCINELLI
CEO of LAVS Atelier
There are some much simpler things that take a week of work and then there are complex things like this one behind me, this holy vestment that takes two or three months of work.
People can recognize how intricate the designs are up close. But Filippo insists that his designs are meant to be appreciated from afar, like the distance between pilgrims and the Pope.
Filippo, musically trained at the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music, believes there is a full sensory experience when someone enters a church.
FILIPPO SORCINELLI
CEO of LAVS Atelier
No one thinks about it, but it's true. Maybe the Catholic liturgy more than many other religious denomination encompasses all five senses. All of them. Taste: Communion. Hear: music. Touch: the sign of peace, the movements of the celebrant but also of the faithful. Sight: we know well. And smell through the different scents.
That is why, when Filippo's clients receive a garment—whether it is the Pope, a priest, or anyone else—the first thing they notice is the smell. It is the fragrance of incense that transports the person to a pew in St. Peter's Basilica.
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