King Charles makes his mark at London Fashion Week.
Avant-garde clothes made from the weeds of the royal residences will make their way down the catwalk on September 13 at the Vin + Omi show as London Fashion Week kicks off with a retrospective of the brand’s designs over the past two decades.
Using plant-based textiles painstakingly created from nettles, chestnuts, cow parsley, shallots and flax salvaged from compost heaps at Sandringham, Highgrove and Mey Castle, the brand’s innovative and sustainable designs will form part of their 20th anniversary retrospective exhibition. The collection will be modeled by Olympians, British TV personalities and American model Josie Stevens, to name a few.
While the edgy fashion duo and the king might seem like an unlikely combination, the three have become friends over the past five years and share a deep-rooted bond when it comes to environmental protection, with the king not only providing resources but also offering mentorship.
Designers with King Charles at Sandringham in April 2024.
VIN + OMI
“Working with Charles is not like working with anyone else,” co-founder Vin told PEOPLE exclusively ahead of their eagerly-anticipated show at the aptly named Kensington Building in London. “We really listen to what he says, because he knows a million more things than we do. He leads the way.”
Literally, in fact, the last time the designers saw the king, he was showing them around his Norfolk home, Sandringham Estate, where 26 Vin + Omi designs are currently on display as part of the Royal Garden Waste to Fashion’s Future exhibition.
“We hadn’t seen her before, so it was a first for the three of us, wandering around looking at each of the dresses. He really took his time going through each one,” says the designer, adding, “He wanted to touch them all, and we must have spent over an hour together looking at what we did with all his waste plant material. He was delighted!”
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Part of an exhibition at Sandringham Estate celebrating the collaboration between Vin + Omi and King Charles.
VIN + OMI
Despite meeting him just two months after the monarch was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year, both Vin and Omi were delighted to find he was doing well. “Even though he was recovering from a cancer scare, he was doing great,” says the designer. “He was still walking around bouncy, agile and happy. It was a thrill to see him looking so joyful.”
After meeting the designers at an event organized by the British Fashion Council in 2018, Charles extended an open invitation to the pair to search his garden and see what they could find to turn into sustainable fabric. (They were researching cow parsley at the time.) In the years since, there have been several collaborations, as well as many meetings and letters of support.
As for the king who appeared on the Sept. 13 show, “I ask him every season,” says Vin (who prefers to be called by his first name). “He might surprise us, who knows!”
The designer adds: “One year we had a lovely gardener from Highgrove come and she was out of her comfort zone in the front row. She was sitting next to a woman who had a quilt over her head and only two eyeballs!”
The fashion pioneers never sold their unique creations, which often end up being acquired by museums such as the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in London. They rarely collaborate with other brands, but this summer they made an exception for King.
“We designed a scarf for the gift shop at Sandringham, which was approved by the King out of three designs,” reveals Vin. “We looked at pictures of the late queen’s scarves and decided they had to be floral and colorful.”
The scarf, which retailed for $112, recently sold out.
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As they continue to educate the next generation about the environmental impact of fast fashion, the designers know it’s a tough sell, much like it has been for the king for decades — but they always find it relaxing to talk to him.
“We’re fighting our own battle the way Charles fought, but he has such a sense of humor, which suits us perfectly,” says Vin. “It’s always fun, but seriously fun, if you know what I mean.”
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education