It’s been a year since Pope Leo XIV—Robert Francis Prevost, the first American-born pope—was elected leader of the Roman Catholic Church. Twelve months in, Pope Leo has held onto much of the Augustinian sensibility he had as Cardinal Bob Prevost, while navigating global political tensions and difficult conversations with President Donald Trump. His views on war, migration, and economic inequality have become more defined, and he has made historic trips abroad.
The pope—named one of Vogue’s best dressed last year—represents the Catholic Church’s social and political ideals on the world stage. Over the past year, Leo XIV’s fashion choices have also visually reflected his vision for a modern papacy.
In a clip from Leone a Roma, Pope Leo wears Nike Franchise Low Plus sneakers.
Photo: Courtesy of the Vatican
Last week, the Vatican released Leone a Roma, a documentary that follows the Chicago-born pope’s early years in Rome in the 1980s up to the present. In a scene filmed just before the two-day conclave that elected him, sneaker fans quickly spotted the rare Nikes peeking out from under his cream clerical robes: a pair of Nike’s Franchise Low Plus. (The shoe first came out in the 1970s and was briefly re-released in 2008.)
A month after his election, Pope Leo was photographed wearing a black Chicago White Sox cap during an outing at the Vatican. Becoming pope comes with many sacrifices, but giving up hometown team spirit doesn’t seem to be one of them.
Pope Leo wore a Chicago White Sox cap for a Vatican appearance in June 2025.
Photo: Getty Images
But remember, the shot of Leo in his Nike sneakers comes from a Vatican-produced documentary—made by a state that essentially invented the language of style, a body that expressed its strength, influence, and power through lavish imagery centuries before logos took over. Pope Leo’s ties to the United States, along with a sense of youth and modern pop culture, fit well with how the Catholic Church wants to present itself as a contemporary force.
After Pope Leo’s election, Vogue spoke with Filippo Sorcinelli, a master tailor and artist who has now dressed three popes. (Before his funeral, Pope Francis lay in state in St. Peter’s Basilica wearing a white silk miter with gold trim, made by Sorcinelli’s Atelier Lavs.) At the time, Sorcinelli—a tall, handsome, tattooed gay man who wears sleek, all-black suits—didn’t know if he’d be called on again.
Photo: Courtesy of Atelier Lavs
Filippo Sorcinelli of Atelier Lavs designs sacred garments for Pope Leo.
Photo: Courtesy of Atelier Lavs
He started dressing Pope Benedict in 2007 and created more than 50 detailed, ornate robes for him. Sorcinelli’s striking designs stand out in today’s world of liturgical clothing because he focuses on medieval style, reimagined through modern materials and technology. This year marks 25 years of his work in sacred garments. “I feel more clearly the responsibility of a craft that belongs to the church even before it belongs to my own story,” Sorcinelli tells Vogue today. “The sacred vestment becomes the visible language of faith… it carries immense symbolic power. The person fades, and the symbol comes forward.”
Sorcinelli remembers meeting Pope Leo—then Cardinal Prevost—in the small town of Tolentino in the Marche region of central Italy, many years before his election. “I recall his composure, the calm in his eyes, an inner simplicity that was already fully clear,” he says.
Each of the three popes he has dressed, Sorcinelli says, had their own distinct style. “Benedict XVI embodied the formal splendor of doctrine; Francis brought beauty back to its pastoral simplicity; and Leo XIV seems to gather order, contemplation, and the Roman sense of the church into a figure of clear austerity,” he explains.
Designs for Francis reflected his humble personality, with garments inspired by Italian Renaissance painter Giotto.The medieval fresco cycles—especially those in Assisi—were a nod to the saint whose name he chose. He wore only simple, necessary jewelry, along with plain pants and robes.
Pope Leo XIV Visits The Principality of Monaco.
Photo: Getty Images
Pope Leo XIV leads the Jubilee mass of Marian Spirituality at St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican.
Photo: Getty Images
Sorcinelli sees the liturgical garment as an important symbol for the Catholic faith today, but describes it as “one of duality.” He says, “It is both old and forward-looking, reminding us of tradition, authority, sacrifice, order, and transcendence. In a world of fast-moving images, the papal vestment slows things down.” So while the papacy isn’t completely immune to trends, it does tend to change over generations rather than seasons.
Pope Leo’s wardrobe reflects a conversation between tradition and modernity, much like his papal mission. He has added more color, rich fabrics, texture, and traditional or historic details to his papal clothing. This is closer to what Benedict, John Paul II, and medieval leaders wore, and therefore shows a more traditional approach after Francis’s more progressive time. When he appeared on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica after being elected, Leo XIV wore a classic red satin mozzetta and a gold-embroidered stole, paired with a cross pendant on a gold silk cord. At his inaugural mass last May, he chose white papal trousers (Francis kept to simple black), an ornate lacy amitto around his neck, a braided belt called a cingulum, and the cufflinks that Francis avoided wearing.
Photo: Getty Images
Pope Leo XIV consecrates 11 new priests at St. Peter’s, Rome.
Photo: Getty Images
During his first mass with the cardinals in May 2025, at the end of the conclave, Pope Leo wore a Sorcinelli-designed Celestinian chasuble (an ornate vestment). It used fabric from a garment gifted by Cardinal Giuseppe Petrocchi to Francis in 2022, which had never been worn. In Monaco, for Lent in March 2026, Sorcinelli created an original set of vestments, including a chasuble and miter (pointed ceremonial headgear) for Pope Leo, along with matching garments for the celebrants and deacons. The materials reflected Lent: 1,200 meters of purple wool to symbolize penitence and royalty, 35 meters of purple silk brocade woven with silver threads as “a reflection of the glory still hidden,” 50 meters of silver quilting, 100 faceted amethyst beads, and 150 bows.
Pope Leo XIV holds an open-air mass in Beirut after praying for victims of the port blast.
Photo: Getty Images
Last November, Pope Leo led mass at Rome’s Church of Sant’Anselmo all’Aventino to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the dedication of the Benedictine temple. The sacred vestments—the chasuble, miter, and dalmatic—were made of pure silk with gold threads, featuring alternating designs inspired by the decorations of the Basilica and the Benedictine Order.
“The Church has always understood that faith also passes through form,” says Sorcinelli. Pope Leo continues to position himself as a bridge-builder. While history and heritage are woven into his choice of traditional vestments, a very modern kind of influence appears in a swoosh. The devil may wear Prada, but the pope wears Nike.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here is a list of FAQs about A Year of Pope Leo XIV A Year of Papal Drama
BeginnerLevel Questions
Q What is A Year of Pope Leo XIV all about
A Its a book or documentary that covers the first chaotic 12 months of Pope Leo XIVs papacy focusing on the scandals political fights and personal struggles inside the Vatican
Q Is Pope Leo XIV a real Pope
A No As of now Pope Francis is the current Pope This topic is fictionala what if scenario imagining a dramatic year for a future fictional pope
Q What kind of drama happens in the story
A Think leaked documents power struggles among cardinals a mysterious death a financial scandal and the Pope trying to balance tradition with modern pressures
Q Do I need to know a lot about the Catholic Church to understand it
A No The story explains key terms as they come up Its designed for anyone who likes political or religious thrillers
Q Is this a comedy or a serious drama
A Its a serious drama with moments of dark humor Think House of Cards meets The Two Popes
Advanced Deeper Questions
Q What is the Leo XIV Crisis that keeps being mentioned
A Its the central conflict a leaked document reveals the Pope knew about a coverup of a financial fraud inside the Vatican bank forcing him to choose between honesty and protecting the institution
Q How does the book handle real Church doctrine
A It stays accurate on doctrine but bends history for plot Its fiction not a theological textbook
Q Is there a real historical event this is based on
A It draws inspiration from the Vatileaks scandal and the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI but its an original story The Year of Drama is a fictional compression of decades of real Church tensions
Q Why is the Pope named Leo XIV Does it mean something
A Yes Leo XIII was a famous reformer pope