King Charles Foundation unveils new luxury fashion collection

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Over the years, King Charles has become an unlikely style icon as he championed a sustainable approach to fashion. And now his foundation is launching a new luxury capsule collection created by budding artists trained in traditional techniques.

The King’s Foundation, in collaboration with Net-a-Porter, has unveiled a 13-piece ready-to-wear collection designed by fashion graduates participating in their Modern Artisan training programme. The six graduates were inspired by the natural world as well as the watercolours of the Scottish Highlands around Queen Victoria’s Balmoral. “The colours, silhouettes and design details represent the trainee artisans’ translation of these watercolours, in celebration of the land and the feelings of wellbeing it inspires,” the King’s Foundation said in a statement today.

Items in the collection include a khaki lounge shirt and trousers inspired by the landscapes of Balmoral, a smocked waist top reflecting the timeless look of a historic tunic and a bias-cut slip dress that aims to evoke the wild landscapes of parts of Scotland.

All pieces were handmade at the King’s Foundation’s headquarters at Dumfries House in Ayrshire, using a specialist textile workshop using naturally dyed fabrics and locally sourced British wool.

The collection’s cable knit dress is inspired by traditional Celtic cable patterns and the moss of the Balmoral Estate. The shirred sleeve dress features puffed sleeves with a traditional Romanian shirred pattern. King Charles’ love of the Romanian countryside is well known. The students also created a special oversized hand-knitted scarf using ‘The King’s Clip’, a unique yarn developed from the fleeces of three flocks of sheep kept at Dumfries House.

The collection is the third iteration of the Modern Artisan training programme, following collections launched in 2020 and 2022. It will be sold exclusively on Net-a-Porter, with 50% of profits going to support the King’s Foundation’s training programmes.

“Over the last five years, we have been very proud to see how all of our Modern Artisan graduates have gone on to use what they learned on the course to launch successful careers and businesses in the fashion and textile industry,” said Jacqueline Farrell, Director of Education at The King’s Foundation. “Everything we do here at The King’s Foundation is inspired by His Majesty King Charles III’s vision of harmony, promoting traditional skills and providing holistic and collaborative training for the fashion and textile professionals of tomorrow.”

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