Papal tailors haven't received traditional order for new pope's garments

It has being described in the Italian media as “the great papal cassock race”.

As cardinals prepare to choose a new Catholic pope, neither of the two best-known clerical tailors in Rome have received orders for his garments.

Normally, the Vatican requests three cassocks for the new leader - a small, medium, and large - to cover all possible heights and girths.

The Gammarelli tailor shop has been making garments for priests, bishops, and cardinals since 1798.

Lorenzo Gammarelli, who is a sixth-generation representative of the family-managed shop, said he would not speculate on why they will not be making the new pope’s cassocks.

"It is obviously not up to us. We are happy to do what is asked of us and we are available, but we will stop there,” he said.

Gammarelli said the last time no order arrived was in October 1978, when a conclave was held to elect a successor to Pope John Paul I, who died after 33 days as pontiff.

Media reports suggest that it could be that the Vatican already has plenty of options on hand, and is honouring Pope Francis' message of environmental and economic sustainability.

“Obviously we are a little sorry, because in the sadness caused by the death of the Holy Father, we would still have the beautiful thing of having to make the trousseau for the new one. Not this time,’’ he said.

Usually, when a new pope is elected, the Vatican orders a range of essential garments and accessories.

"We provided a white cassock, a red mozzetta worn over the shoulders, which Pope Francis never wanted to wear, the sash worn around the waist, and then the zucchetto worn on the head," said Gammarelli.

The other tailor, Ranieri Mancinelli, who opened his ecclesiastical tailoring shop near the Vatican in the 1960s, said he has decided to make three simple white cassocks just in case.

There has been no comment on the issue from the Vatican. The gathering to choose the new pope, known as the conclave, begins next week.