King Charles III: How the new King has backed sustainability and education in fashion

As the UK prepares to welcome King Charles III to the throne,
FashionUnited is taking a look back at the times His Royal Highness (HRH)
has been an advocate for the fashion industry, both in the world of
sustainability and through educational initiatives.

His interest in the sector was already evident in the 2023 New Year’s Honours List, which saw the likes
of the now deceased Mary Quant, founder of Boden John Peter Boden and
Gymshark founder Ben Francis achieve acclaimed accolades recognising them
for their contributions to fashion and beyond.

Ahead of his Coronation, scheduled for May 6, we take a deep dive into
the new King’s past efforts and what this could mean for fashion under his
rule.

Sustainable development in fashion

For one of the more recent occasions, King Charles participated in a
fashion roundtable alongside British Vogue editor-in-chief Edward Enninful
and CEO of Yoox Net-a-Porter Group Frederico Marchetti. During the event,
which took place at Dumfries House, HRH’s 2,000 acre property that was
transformed into a crafts and agricultural learning centre in January 2022,
the panel members outlined a number of initiatives and solutions designed
to support the acceleration of sustainability throughout fashion. Among the
discussions were topics such as grassroot initiatives and regenerative
farming practices, all of which were to be led by the Fashion Task Force, a
group formed by HRH made up of industry leaders.

One of the collective’s main missions for the past year has been to set
up a Digital ID system, created as an informative platform providing
customers with sustainability credentials for their garments. The plans for
the technology were initially unveiled during G20 2021, where it was noted
that the group was looking to work with partner brands to implement the
transparency and traceability solution, as well as new circular services,
such as repair and recycling. Members of the Task Force, which includes
Burberry, Chloé, Mulberry and Stella McCartney, have already committed to
beginning the roll out of the Digital ID system, alongside the adoption of
a circular data protocol.

King Charles’ efforts in sustainability haven’t just become evident in
recent years, however. In 2016, the former Prince of Wales launched The Dumfries House of Wool Declaration, which
linked to his previously established Campaign for Wool organisation, urging
key players in the wool industry to commit to protecting the environment
and upholding sheep welfare practices, extending his attention to animal
rights. The declaration, which has nearly 800 signatories to date, agrees
that the major wool growing countries conform to the strictest standards of
animal welfare as embodied in the International Wool Textile Organisation.

The following year, King Charles was also behind the launch of
Sustainable Cotton Communiqué, formed in partnership with Marks & Spencer
as part of HRH’s International Sustainability Unit. Among the signatories
were Nike, H&M, Asos and Kering, each of which came together during a
meeting in London to explore a commitment to sustainable cotton. The
members also pledged that 100 percent of the cotton they used would
come from sustainable sources by 2025. The shift saw the
participating brands begin to turn towards Fairtrade Cotton, BCI Cotton and
organic cotton in an attempt to act as a catalyst to spur more expansive
adoption.

Later, in the year 2021, HRH launched the ‘Terra Carta’ (earth charter)
as part of his Sustainable Markets Initiative, providing businesses with a
roadmap to move towards a sustainable future by 2030. With John Lewis Partnership as the charter’s first
signee, the retailer committed to becoming net-zero carbon across
its entire operations by 2035, including throughout its logistics
operations and its Waitrose supermarket subsidiary.

Educational initiatives and support programmes

Next to sustainability, education has been another focal point for the
new King. Much of his efforts have come under The Prince’s Foundation, an
educational charity he established in 1986 in order to support local
communities and traditional arts. Among the programmes that have been
launched under the organisation is The Prince’s Foundation of Traditional
Arts, a school offering MA, MPhil and PhD courses that aim to bolster the
arts sector. Another long-running programme is the Future Textiles group,
which has been operating for several years, much of which has been backed
with support from luxury conglomerate LVMH.

In 2018, it was revealed that Savile Row tailor Patrick Grant and
Scottish textiles manufacturer John Sugden had been named co-chairs of the
initiative, tasking the duo with providing training in traditional skills
to school children across Scotland and adults looking for employment in the
industry. In the same month, it was also revealed that LVMH would be
sponsoring the refurbishment of an unused sawmill on Dumfries House estate
to transform into a fashion and textiles school. The LVMH Textile Training
Centre was to be used as a space for intensive courses in sewing, cutting
and finishing fabrics.

One of the more notable initiatives of Future Textile was the Modern
Artisan training programme, introduced in 2019 by HRH and Yoox’s Marchetti.
Through the project, students in Italy and the UK were tasked with designing sustainable collections for
Net-A-Porter, Mr Porter, Yoox and The Outnet, a mission that was supported
by industry experts from Yoox, as well as several mentoring designer
brands, such as Gabriela Hearst and Nanushka. Ultimately, a number of the
project’s participants went on to be snapped up by large-scale brands or
even launched their own businesses on the back of the collections’ success.

Bringing the efforts overseas, HRH’s foundation further partnered with
Fashion Council Germany and Swarovski Foundation on
‘Fashion X Craft’, an educational programme for young fashion
designers from German universities. The project, which began its
application process in 2021, looked to promote new processes among young
talent, such as handicraft techniques that aimed to boost more sustainable
production methods. Participants of the programme took part in workshops on
the circular economy and had the opportunity to stay in Highgrove, at the
Prince’s Foundation’s Gloucestershire-based training facility. Much of the
course centred around utilising materials that were rarely used in fashion,
such as glass and wood.

While it is currently unclear whether King Charles will continue to
bolster fashion throughout his time as King, his past has certainly shown
his intentions to build up the industry with a more mindful approach.
Whether it is supporting the British Fashion Council (BFC) by attending a
number of its events, or funding the work of young students who are hoping
to make a positive impact, it is clear HRH has an eye for pushing the
boundaries of fashion and urging it to change its ways. It can only be
hoped that the battle continues once he has firmly taken his place on the
throne.