ON the couch in the corner of a room inside a teal door along the busy street of Congressional Avenue in the bustling city of Quezon sits a father—the founder of Amante Couture, the patriarch of the Amante family, and (most of all) a man of God—waiting patiently for the next “lost soul” to ring his doorbell.
When lost souls arrive, they emerge in the forms of women (young and old) eager to celebrate life’s next milestone (whether prom, graduation, a wedding or an anniversary) or young men interested in a fitted suit to last them a lifetime—in short, those sartorially lost. Once in a while, however, this 59-year-old man finds himself in front of another kind of stray: the spiritually lost.
Samuel “Sammy” Amante Jr. bears the unique combination of being both a couturier and a pastor.
The nature of Sammy’s origin stories mirror the exact natures of both his chosen vocations: fantastic for his modiste originations and humble for his pastoral beginnings.
At 59, Sammy admitted to being in the fashion industry for more than four decades strong. His career really caught speed when, as a young prodigy who used to just watch his cousin at work, one day (to everyone’s astonishment) he revealed to family and friends that he was going to tailor all of his fellow batchmates’ trousers and polos for graduation. He was only 17 at the time.
It’s an amazing story that still leaves his eldest Angelo Gabriel Amante, 34, smiling, shaking his head in disbelief, and saying, “He was just in high school.”
As for his pastoral birth, Sammy began his ministry at 25 years old as a lost youth yearning for direction and guidance. Since rededicating his faith, Sammy has earned not only a reputation among his employees as a “good man” but also a wife, two sons and a daughter. Managing the business now and then with him are his wife Jennifer and his children Angelo, Angelica and Miguel.
Now, comes the question, dear readers, of how it is, exactly, that this man can reconcile two almost antithetical vocations?
Where fashion concerns itself with the vogue and the taste buds of the world and where religion can often perpetuate the notion of the former being a life that leads to the degeneration of the soul, how does this simple couturier/pastor pacify the turmoil inevitable in such a marriage?
Angelo admitted that watching his father juggle both has been a challenge for many people surrounding the senior.
“It’s also quite challenging for him, as I’ve witnessed growing up. As a pastor…. Well, we mainly relied on our [technical] skills and…. He really considers everything from God. Customers coming in? He looks at it as a blessing from God and not really [his skill]….,” shared Angelo. “Mainly, it’s all about God’s provision. That’s how he looks at things.”
Nonetheless, in large and small ways; likewise with bad and good repercussions, Sammy lives this double life often with the two brimming over one another.
What perhaps makes this unique combination so advantageous for both the business and the ministry is that Sammy himself uses the best of what he’s learned from either vocations to further the other.
Through the gentleness that being a pastor has taught him, Sammy has built Amante Couture to become the kind of shop that can guarantee an experience truly tailor-made to the clientele.
The designer explains what a client can expect from Amante Couture: “I would get to know you first, your personality because I cannot design something out of nothing. I want to design something that’s from your personality. Then I would only insert my ideas and expertise to collaborate with you on the design that you want. Basically, I want to dress you up as you are. You (they) will walk down the aisle, as you are. Not me, but you.”
Likewise, the aged couturier treats his employees with the same degree of care he shows his clients – both of whom are family and not just friends. Longtime workers share that Father Amante handles his business much like how he handles his ministry—ever gentle, kind, understanding and encouraging.
“He’s kind… He’s always helping others. He’s not overly strict to us employees either…. With him, once he notices your genuine interest in the craft, he’ll do all he can to help you improve,” said Dolly Besas, master-cutter and employee in Amante Couture for the past 28 years.
On the other side of the coin, being a couturier has furthered his ministry in the most surprising ways.
One notable project that Sammy preoccupies himself with is “church planting.”
Church planting, much like its agrarian connotations, simply means this pastor helps communities build their own ministries until such a time that they can manage themselves. Thus, he moves on to new “uncharted” land and raises church after church there. So far, in the 34 years he’s been with the ministry, he has helped set up four churches all in all.
But because of the couturier’s reluctance to separate his ministry from his company, through the years, Sammy has even made what can be called a “makeshift ministry” in the most unexpected place: right inside his atelier.
“In this job, it’s not just about honing your skills. He also makes it a point to take care of our spiritual health,” said Dolly.
Inside his very own shop, workers attest to Sammy being everyone’s “father”—thus, the moniker “Papa Sam.” He is both boss and spiritual leader to his employees.
“Whatever problems you have, he’s always there to help—whether financial [problems], personal, spiritual…. He isn’t just a boss to us. He’s like a father. He’s our pastor,” said Irene Burongan, a sewer who’s worked for Amante Couture for 11 years.
Through Amante Couture, the aged designer is also able to provide what one might call “fashion rehabilitation” to hard up individualspeople wanting in both spiritual and financial support.
This fashion rehabilitation includes lending individuals help in terms of providing them a craft, a stable income, and (if needed) spiritual guidance. When asked how many he’s been able to help all these years, Sammy gives a modest figure of 100.
Based on his track record, I suspect that it may be more.
“What he’s always wanted is just to be able to help people,” said Irene.
As for his style when it comes to designing gowns and how Sammy manages the business, his eldest admits that his father favors conservative fashion and, because of his vocation, is drawn to weddings and likewise wholesome, traditional events.
“When it comes to his business and his ministry together, it affected a lot…. He became more directed to the conservative side…. To the more formal side. That’s where he headed. As a designer, he didn’t stray into ‘high fashion’ or sexy clothes. He was attracted by formal stuff like weddings…. That’s where he sticks to,” said Angelo.
All in all, we find in Sammy Amante a man like no other. He has used haute couture to feed not only his passion in life but also his faith. Evolved from a simply hobby, fashion became his craft; then a source of livelihood; then a ministry; and now, a life’s mission.
Today, Sammy looks forward to passing down what he knows to his children and to his flock.
“My goal is to teach to help the next generation…. We’d like to open a technical school, eventually, for fashion design…. I think that’s my biggest aspiration—in thanks for the talent that God has given me. I’d like to share my gift to others. I think that’s really the best thing I can do—pass my talent, my skill on to others that may also be blessed,” said Sammy.
Amante Couture is a small atelier found along Congressional Avenue, Quezon City. It’s a small family business (only 25 employees) that has been in the business for over four decades.