Amelia Windsor has three main passions – fashion, gardening and museums. But for the model, brand muse and contributor to Hello! Fashion online… all of these paths lead back to her main love: sustainability.
Tagged the coolest royal by Tatler magazine in 2016, Amelia, who is signed to Storm Model Management, has interned for Chanel, Azzedine Alaïa and Bulgari; walked twice on the catwalk for Dolce & Gabbana; appeared on the cover of Vogue Japan, Tatler and now Hello! Fashion. “It’s such an honour,” she smiles.
Amelia was born and raised in Cambridgeshire, after attending St Mary’s School in Ascot, she read Italian and French at Edinburgh University - she was signed by Storm in her second year.
“I was very honoured to be approached and worked with them throughout uni. I found it exciting and interesting being in two different worlds, it was quite surreal going from uni to modelling.”
© Dima HohlovQuickly becoming part of the fashion industry, the ability to speak Italian and French, with two of fashion’s biggest capitals being Milan and Paris, was obviously an asset. “It has been handy,” she laughs.
Amelia’s Canadian-born mother is the Countess of St Andrews, who was born into the Tomaselli family. Known professionally as Dr Sylvana Tomaselli, she is a historian at the University of Cambridge. Amelia’s father is the Earl of St Andrews, a philanthropist and former diplomat. He is the son of the Duke of Kent, first cousin to the late Queen Elizabeth II.
© Dima HohlovAmelia has been enticed by fashion from a young age, and more recently, finds Instagram a great tool for finding new, independent designers. “There are some amazing small businesses that are doing such great things and have interesting stories behind them.
“Brands that are also investing in good-quality fabrics and looking at different ways to make the clothing – and they actually have to invest quite a lot to do that. So, supporting them is important.”
© Dima HohlovAlthough thrifting is a great way to be sustainable, her love of secondhand clothing began whilst she was still at university – before we all knew the full impact fast fashion had on the environment.
“That literally is all I wore, it’s the excitement of it – and it became a bit of an obsession. I just love the fact that you never know what you’re going to find. Portobello market I love, it has such a great atmosphere and all the sellers have known each other for years. And now, obviously, you have online as well, with Depop and Vestiaire.”
Amelia’s passion for sustainability was a gradual process. Like most people, it grew the more aware she became. And during the Covid lockdowns, she took a couple of online courses to learn more. “I think it was a case of a sudden realisation after being fed more information.”
© Dima HohlovThe most recent exhibition she visited had, naturally, a sustainable angle. “I went to Souls Grown Deep like the Rivers at the Royal Academy, it was really incredible. A lot of the artists had made art from salvaged wood, there is a very imaginative process behind all of the pieces, which had a lot of meaning behind them, it was very moving.”
And when working with brands, Amelia likes to choose ones that share her ethos of preserving the environment, such as Pretty Ballerinas, Penelope Chilvers, Been London, Brora and Alexander Clementine, who she collaborated with on a collection of underwear made from seaweed.
Amelia has donated a percentage of profits from each to charity. “I mean, it’s just a small way of giving some money to help,” she says modestly. And through her charitable work, the Cross River Gorilla Project approached Amelia, “They very kindly asked me to be their patron which was a huge honour”.
© Dima HohlovAnother dedication born during lockdown is gardening. “It stemmed from being appreciative of green spaces, so I started reading about nature. And that then grew to reading about people’s gardening experiences,” she explains.
“When lockdown finished, I started volunteering in Little Venice with a lovely group called Plant Environment, which I really loved. Gardening is such a nice way of meeting people and there are mental benefits through the connection to the land.”
The full interview with Amelia Windsor appears in the September issue of Hello! Fashion, out now…
Photography: Dima Hohlov
Photographer’s Assistant: Georgie Zenko & Aron Tartan
Styling: Laura Weatherburn
Stylist’s Assistants: Chloe Gallacher & Eve Fitzpatrick
Hair: Davide Barbieri At Caren Using Kevin Murph
Make-up: Lee Will At Caren Using Victoria Beckham Beauty
