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King Charles to host royal fashion exhibition using plant waste from his garden
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King Charles to host royal fashion exhibition using plant waste from his garden

Everything you need to know about the 'Royal Garden Waste To Fashion’s Future' exhibition 

King Charles sitting down on a visit to Saudi Arabia on November 18, 1986. (Photo by Georges De Keerle/Getty Images)
Lauren Ramsay
Online Writer
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Sartorialists and royalists, rejoice. 

A new fashion exhibition is set to be displayed at the royal residence Sandringham House in Norfolk, featuring a planet-friendly collection created with plant waste taken from King Charles III's gardens.

The exhibition, titled Royal Garden Waste To Fashion’s Future, has been created in collaboration with the King and fashion designer duo Vin + Omi, with whom he struck up a relationship in 2018 over their shared enthusiasm for sustainability. 

Charles, who is recognised for both his environmental advocacy and his affinity for double-breasted tailoring, then invited the designers to Highgrove in Gloucestershire to sift through the garden waste and see if they could make materials from it.

The collection will feature 24 garments and accessories that combine eco-consciousness with innovation, including the world's first maxi dress created using butterbur - an Asian bog plant that grows beside the lakes at Sandringham.

The butterbur dress on display at Sandringham - it is the world's first dress made from Butterbur, which grows on the side of the lakes in the Sandringham Gardens© Getty
This piece is the world's first dress made from butterbur, which grows on the side of the lakes in the Sandringham Gardens

Back in 2020 using nettles from Highgrove, Vin + Omi managed to create a versatile textile, which was later made into dresses and outfits for their London fashion show Sting, which was held at the Savoy Hotel.

A piece from Vin + Omi's SS20 collection made from nettles harvested at Prince Charles's country estate© Getty
A piece from Vin + Omi's SS20 collection made from nettles harvested at Prince Charles's country estate

Outfits for the new exhibition have been created using this same material plus other plant materials including cow parsley, willow, hydrangea and bog cotton, from the royal gardens at Highgrove and the Queen Mother’s Scottish estate, the Castle of Mey in Caithness.

A tufted Nettle Dress made from Highgrove and Sandringham nettle and a recycled yarn mesh on display at Sandringham House, © Getty
A tufted Nettle Dress made from Highgrove and Sandringham nettle and a recycled yarn mesh on display at Sandringham House

Plus, clothes have been dyed with waste plant dyes, and "hard to recycle” plant pots have been used to create jewellery. One particular piece to be displayed at Sandringham is a coil dress made from nettles and dyed with fallen rose petals.

This isn't the first time the King has dabbled in fashion design. Back in 2020, he launched a clothing collaboration between YOOX Net-A-Porter - the online fashion retailer, and his charity The Prince’s Foundation, with profits going towards to charity.

King Charles sitting down on a visit to Saudi Arabia on November 18, 1986. (Photo by Georges De Keerle/Getty Images)© Getty
The King has always had a keen eye for fashion

Sandringham House and Gardens, along with the exhibition in The Great Hall, will be open from March 23 to October 11.

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