Clerical designs are bound to tradition and slow to change. But this year for the first time, Stephen Fendler is revamping CM Almy’s women’s line of everyday clothing to keep up with increased demand.
In the United States, in 2012, more than 20 percent of clergy were women, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, compared with 14 percent 10 years ago. And Mr. Fendler estimates that about half the graduates from Episcopal seminaries are women.
For a long time, he said, Almy had offered casual, everyday clothing for female priests and ministers, but the shirts were man-tailored and made from a stiff cotton material. Over the years, he began to hear from women who wanted more options. Continue reading