Pope Francis death: Catholic leader’s fashion legacy

The opulence of papal style has been celebrated in movies such as Conclave, at the Met Gala by Rihanna and on T-shirts worn by Kanye West, but Pope Francis’ fashion legacy is more austere than extravagant.

While Pope Benedict XVI was known for his brilliant red leather slippers from cobblers Adriano Stefanelli and Antonio Arellano (not Prada as rumoured), and crimson silk, ermine-trimmed capes, his successor Francis projected a simpler image. Think Uniqlo rather than Balenciaga.

With the selection of his symbol of papal authority in 2013, The Fishermen’s Ring, Francis sent a message of restraint and sustainability. Unlike Benedict’s 15-gram gold ring that took artisans 15 hours a day for two weeks to make, Francis’ ring was gold-plated silver.

Nodding to recycling, Francis used a ring that had belonged to Pope Paul VI’s personal secretary rather than commissioning a new piece like his predecessors. Following his death on Monday, Francis’ ring will be decommissioned.

“The ring is marked with a cross on the upper part as a symbol of the end of the papacy,” Claudio Franchi, vice president of the Roman Guild of Goldsmiths, told US network CBS in 2013, following Benedict’s resignation. Benedict died in 2022.

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Benedict’s aesthetic extravagances, including designer sunglasses from Serengeti, led to his nomination by menswear magazine Esquire as the Accesoriser of the Year in 2007. Ironically, Francis’ pared-back look, preferring simple white woollen cassocks, meant he scored the top prize as Esquire’s Best Dressed Man of 2013.

“While Bradley Cooper, Chris Pine, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt have all had banner years, their sartorial choices begin and end on the proverbial red carpet,” Esquire said. “Meanwhile, Pope Francis’ sartorial decisions have subtly signalled a new era (and for many, renewed hope) for the Catholic Church.”

Francis’ preference for simple white was more minimalist than the lace, velvet and fur favoured by other popes, but he did not subject himself to hair shirts or polyester. A cassock worn by Francis found its way to Heritage Auctions in the US in 2022, and was made by Roman tailor Raniero Mancinelli from merino wool, supplied by Holland & Sherry of Savile Row.