Crosses, rosaries, and stained glass are strutting down runways—are designers channeling spirituality or just playing dress-up?
Fashion has always flirted with the sacred. But lately, it’s gotten downright devotional.
From runway shows in Paris to streetwear in Brooklyn, Christian and Catholic symbols are making a bold return. Think crucifixes layered over mesh, oversized rosary beads hanging from Balenciaga belts, and stained-glass prints splashed across Dior gowns like wearable cathedral windows. Even pop stars like Doja Cat and Bad Bunny have shown up draped in holy references that could make a Renaissance painter blush. But what’s behind this sudden sanctified style surge?
At its best, this trend feels like an exploration of something deeper than aesthetic: a grappling with identity, belief, and the ways we publicly signal who we are—or want to be. In a world that feels increasingly chaotic, spirituality, even in symbolic form, offers grounding. Wearing a crucifix or a Virgin Mary print might not mean the same thing it did in 1950, but that’s kind of the point. For some, it’s fashion’s way of reclaiming a personal narrative. For others, it’s armor. Or maybe it’s just a vibe.
The Rise of “Reverentwear”
Religious iconography has been used in fashion before—Gianni Versace famously played with Catholic imagery in the ‘90s—but what’s different now is the cultural context. Gen Z and younger Millennials are engaging with spirituality less through doctrine and more through symbolism, mood, and even meme. It’s religion reimagined as aesthetic.
Designers like Marine Serre, Eckhaus Latta, and even big-name houses like Gucci are part of this movement, stitching halos, praying hands, and sacred hearts into their collections. You don’t have to scroll far to spot girls on your feed wearing bold blue “Jesus Is King” tees from Kanye’s gospel era, next to couture-level takes on altar boy silhouettes.
But this isn’t just cosplay for clout. In many cases, these symbols carry deep personal meaning for designers themselves. Some are referencing their upbringing, honoring their grandmothers, or remixing the rigid religious systems they grew up in. In that sense, it’s not irreverence—it’s reclamation.
“Maybe fashion’s new religion isn’t about
worship—it’s about asking better questions.”
The Sacred and the Problematic
Of course, there’s a thorny side to turning faith into fashion.
When brands dip into religious aesthetics without context or understanding, it can feel like appropriation. Especially when the imagery is stripped of its cultural or spiritual significance and repackaged for hypebeast Instagram shots or ironic streetwear drops. For many practicing Christians, seeing sacred objects like rosaries reduced to accessories can feel disrespectful, even blasphemous.
And it’s not just about Christianity. Fashion has long dabbled in cherry-picking from global religions—Hindu bindis at Coachella, Buddhist mantras on t-shirts, Indigenous patterns with zero attribution. The line between homage and theft is razor-thin, and often walked carelessly by brands hungry for “edgy” aesthetics.
So where’s the line? That depends on intent, context, and—critically—who’s profiting. If a Latinx designer references Catholic motifs as part of their cultural story, that lands very differently than a luxury label slapping a crucifix on a $3,000 clutch without explanation.
Style, Meaning, and Modern Faith
Despite the complexities, this fashion moment has potential to spark real reflection—on both identity and creativity.
At its most powerful, fashion can be a spiritual practice in itself: a daily ritual of self-expression, a quiet prayer to be seen, understood, and connected. And maybe that’s what this trend is really about. Not mocking belief, but reimagining it. Finding personal meaning in collective symbols. Building new relationships to the old sacred.
So, is religious iconography in fashion meaningful or just moodboard material? Is it reverent, rebellious, or a little bit of both?
That, honestly, is up to you.
