This page contains a list of companies and artists who make and/or supply clothes that you might need once ordained, and possibly beforehand.  This list will also be useful if you find yourself being called to be a Lay Reader/Licensed Lay Minister too.  As many of the companies also supply church supplies, furnishings, and more it will give you a glimpse into the operating life of the church itself.

Please note: this page is a simple list of companies and artists recommended to me by others.  I am not receiving any commission and at present have not brought from any of them!  If you know of a company that would be good to add to this list please share via the comments or contact me on Twitter.

This is a new page as of 16th January 2020.  More information will be added as and when I have it and the time!

What are vestments?

The following websites provide a guide to what vestments are, why they are worn and what they mean:

• Anglican Pastor – Anglican Vestments Can Be Confusing
• A glossary of vestments and clericals – Rev Ken Collins
• Holy Art – Liturgical Stoles
• Everything Vestment – information on the Biblical history, colours and more of vestments, including how to make your own.
• If you know of others please let me know.

 

Companies selling vestments and other clothes

Many of the companies below will also sell stoles, a separate list for artists dedicated to designing and making stoles is further down the page.

• Agnus Church Supplies, Birmingham
• Butler & Butler, Hampshire – Fair-trade shirts, with Surplices and Men’s Cassocks made from recycled plastic bottles
• B&H Clerical Shirts & Collars, Reepham, Norfolk
• Clive Adie Clerical Shirts and Church Vestments, Suffolk
• Collared Clergy-wear – Clothes for female clergy and a few for Men
• Croft Designs, Much Wenlock, Shropshire
• Desta, Rome, Italy
• F.A. Dumont, Folkestone, Kent
• F&M Church Supplies, Birstall, Yorkshire
• Grace Supplies Ltd, Hull
• Hayes & Finch, Liverpool
• House of Iona, Milton Keynes – Clothes for female clergy
• J&M Sewing Services, Newcastle upon Tyne
• J. Wippell & Co., Exeter, London and Manchester
• Lottie’s Eco, Stanford Bridge, Worcestershire – ethical clergy wear for women and clergy t-shirts for men (plus other eco-products and clothes)
• Moville Clothing, Donegal, Ireland
• North East Church Supplies, Blyth, Northumberland
• Solemnis, Poland
• Vanpoulles, UK
• Watts and Co., London

 

Artists designing and making vestments stoles and preaching scarfs

In addition to many of the companies above which sell stoles, a number of artists sell the stoles that they design and make direct to you.  Many will offer to design bespoke stoles, allowing you to have a stole that communicates the uniqueness of you and your calling.

This is, as above, an incomplete list which will be added to as people recommend artists to me.  And also as above, this is simply a list of artists sorted alphabetically to help you find the right thing for you.

• Elizabeth Lawson – Church Vestments
• Juliet Hemingray – Church Textiles
• Rev. Katherine Napier
• Sally Prendergast
• Yvonne Bell  – Christian Art and Church Vestments
  • Yvonne helped turn my designs into reality.  You can see what I designed and the finished result that Yvonne painted in my blog post about My Ordination Stoles.