Buckingham Palace Repurposes Old Curtains Into ‘Zero-Waste’ Kimonos
Images via The King’s Foundation
From fabric waste to beautiful articles of clothing wrapped around your waist, curtains from Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle are getting a fashionable second life. A sustainable fashion initiative by King Charles III sees these drapes being transformed into luxury kimonos by art students.
This creative project, under the auspices of the King’s Foundation and conceived by the monarch himself, is part of a broader mission by the King’s Foundation, formerly the Prince’s Foundation, to train skilled artisans in traditional UK crafts, including fashion and textiles.
Students from the foundation’s Batch Production Skills course at Dumfries House in East Ayrshire are the hands behind this upcycling endeavor. They received over 50 meters (164 feet) of donated curtain fabric spanning more than 40 years of royal history, featuring everything from floral and leaf patterns to 1980s denim.
Tasked to rework this rich tapestry into contemporary fashion statements, young talents spent eight to 10 hours hand-tailoring the garments to life. No scrap was left unturned—every leftover was to be incorporated into the project, aligning with zero-waste aspirations.
Curtains that formerly adorned the window frames of Royal residences Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace have been upcycled by students of The King’s Foundation into one-off fashion pieces that are currently being auctioned in our 2023 charity auction. https://t.co/OzN4pxYieV pic.twitter.com/2op9SrWebE
— The King's Foundation (@PrincesFound) December 3, 2023
The kimono was chosen for its universal, one-size-fits-all nature and low-waste make.
Curtains that formerly adorned the window frames of Royal residences Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace have been upcycled by students here at Dumfries House into one-off kimonos that are currently being auctioned in The King's Foundation 2023 Auction.https://t.co/dHqSExDmbA pic.twitter.com/SkwSIx1x2z
— Dumfries House (@Dumfries_House) December 3, 2023
Once just a backdrop to royal life, these fabrics have now hit the auction block. A variety of hand-tailored kimonos will be sold until December 8, with all proceeds going to support the charity’s work. As of the time of writing, the highest bid for one of these pieces stands at £1,000 (US$1,268).
[via BBC, The Telegraph, ITV, images via The Prince’s Foundation]
