Texas polygamy sect launches clothing line

Tag : Long Dresses


The raid by Texas authorities on a reclusivepolygamous sect and their seizure of 400 children has had anunexpected consequence -- the launch of a new clothing line.

Women from the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter DaySaints, who were called upon to make clothes en masse for thechildren taken into state custody after allegations of abuse, havenow turned their skills to commerce and launched an online shop tohelp the mothers earn a living.

The austere dresses with long sleeves and high collars,loose-fitting pants, long johns and modest blouses worn by membersof the sect are reminiscent of 19th-century American pioneers andhighlight the sect's isolation.

The distinctive clothes are advertised on a Web site,http://fldsdress.com,which includes the unlikely sales pitch for aclothing line that "meets the FLDS standards for modesty andneatness," are "washable, durable and children-proof," and furtherasserts that "each piece is made with joy and care." Among theitems for sale is a "princess" dress with long sleeves and widepleats available in eight different col-ours. At the sewingfacility at the sect's YFZ ranch in Texas, there are racks ofpastel-coloured dresses and other items that have the distinctivelook.

The women behind the business are uncertain about how big thedemand will be for the items, but say the venture has already drawnqueries from throughout the United States.

"We don't know what to expect on demand but we have a flood ofinterest," Maggie Jessop, a member of the sect, told the Salt LakeTribune newspaper. She said the clothing style is based on thecommunity's desire to dress more in accordance to the dictates ofBiblical and Mormon scriptural references.

"I really like wearing plain clothes," Ms. Jessop told thenewspaper, explaining that it allows her "to focus on doing thingsfor others rather than on seeing how darling I can look."

Before the children were returned to their legal guardiansfollowing a court ruling in May, the mothers were busy producingenough clothes to ensure that the seized children continued todress in the fashions favoured by the community.