This royal has a passion for sustainability and sharp suits, and even Instagram— and no, it’s not Meghan Markle. But Prince Charles does seem to be following in the footsteps of his new daughter-law lately, and now he’s taken it a step further by also creating his own capsule collection. On Wednesday, the Prince’s Foundation, the charity that coordinates Charles’s donations, announced a partnership with Yoox Net-a-Porter, the online fashion retail conglomerate, and shared photographs of Charles celebrating with the company’s CEO, Federico Marchetti.
Called the Modern Artisan Project, the partnership will begin with a 17-piece collection designed by six fashion students and recent graduates from Politecnico di Milano. Using Yoox Net-a-Porter’s customer data, the collection will also be based on the work of Leonardo da Vinci, as 2019 marks the 500-year anniversary of his death. The clothing will be manufactured by six students in the traditional crafts and skills program at Dumfries House, the historic estate and educational center that the Prince’s Foundation acquired in 2007. (It was recently in the news after two paintings hanging on its walls were removed due to possible fraud.) The collection will appear in the retailer’s stores beginning in mid-2020.
“This project is the culmination of our Future Textiles initiative, which starts by giving school pupils an introduction to the textile industry and goes right through to the Modern Artisan project which offers an inspiring progression route to any young person wishing to enter the fashion and textile industry,” Jacqueline Farrell, the education director at Dumfries House, said in a statement.
The announcement comes as Charles arrives in India for a two-day visit focusing on climate change, sustainability, and community resilience. After Tuesday’s statement honoring the 550th anniversary of Sikh founder Guru Nanak, on Wednesday afternoon he visited Bangla Sahib Gurudwara, a major Sikh house of worship in Delhi, according to a tweet from the British High Commission in India. Earlier in the day, he presented a charity award, met the country’s president, Rashtrapati Bhavan, and took a ride in an electric rickshaw.
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