Prince Charlesis donating his garden waste in the name of fashion.
The eco-conscious royal is collaborating withVin + Omi, a British fashion brand with punk roots, known for combining avant-garde fashion with sustainable innovation.
“We love working withPrince Charlesand we have a lot of fun doing it,” co-founder of the brand Omi tells PEOPLE from his London studio, adding, “He has been very involved in terms of what we are doing, and it’s an ongoing relationship, which is really lovely.”
Prince Charles.Marianne Majerus Garden Images/Highgrove Enterprises
“Sometimes I can’t believe I’m talking to the future King of England – even to be having conversations around sustainability is bizarre because you would think that someone so privileged wouldn’t be interested, but he is very learned.” With the duo’s punk ideology, the collaboration is not one that they could have predicted. “Our whole brand ethos is against everything that comes with establishment, but it’s amazing that something as simple as the environment can link different people together.”
Vin + Omi with Prince Charles.Vin + Omi
The artists co-founded Vin + Omi 15 years ago with a science scholarship to look into sustainability. After many years focusing on sustainable approaches to business, design and textiles, the pair bumped into Charles at a fashion event in 2018. On hearing that they were trying to harvest various garden waste materials into innovative new fabrics in a bid to highlight sustainability, Charles suggested they use nettles and invited them to meet his head gardener at Highgrove.
Working together for almost two years now, Omi says Charles often suggests new raw materials to harvest, such as his latest — the spicy root vegetable horseradish. “That came from him and his team and it’s brilliant! We are looking into that at the moment,” says Omi, who is currently putting the finishing touches to their collection. While it’s unlikely that Charles will be front row at Friday’s show at The Savoy Hotel, Omi says his support has been invaluable. “He’s always telling us that what we are doing is amazing, and it’s really nice because it gives us a little boost.”
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And according to the designer, Charles is not only passionate about his environmental causes, he’s good company too. “He has a great sense of humor, he’s very quick witted, so there is always banter between us all. I love our conversations with him. I never dreamt in my wildest dreams growing up that I would get invited to his house, that I would be having dinner or even having coffee with him — it’s just the weirdest experience in the world!”
source: people.com
