Today HRH The Prince of Wales met with British designers and fashion businesses who are dedicated to sustainability and championing positive change for the future of the fashion industry, at White City House. His Royal Highness was met by Nick Jones, founder of Soho House, who gave him a quick tour before His Royal Highness cut the ribbon officially opening White City House, giving it his royal seal of approval. His Royal Highness then spent time in the company of Bethany Williams, Mother of Pearl and Teatum Jones discussing material innovation, the circular economy, craftsmanship and community. The visit was part of the British Fashion Council’s Positive Fashion initiative, a platform designed to use the power of collective influence to gather thought leadership, celebrate industry best practice and encourage future business decisions to create positive change.
Through three strategic pillars, Positive Fashion focuses on Sustainability, referring to social, environmental and business governance to drive a more sustainable fashion future; Equality and Diversity, representing the people from the product makers to the staff, students and models who pioneer British brands and Local Manufacturing, Craftsmanship and Community, referencing the community of talent, skills and craftsmanship that supports the fashion sector which contributes £29.7billion in GDP to the UK economy and supports 850,000 jobs.
The Prince of Wales has previously supported the work of The British Fashion Council by hosting the launch of London Collections: Men at St James's Palace in June 2012. His Royal Highness also founded the Campaign for Wool to encourage ecologically responsible fashion which prioritises natural fibres and has a low carbon footprint.
Earlier in the day, The Prince of Wales was joined by The Duchess of Cornwall at a visit to the YOOX NET-A-PORTER GROUP’s Tech Hub where they were met by YOOX NET-A-PORTER GROUP’S CEO Federico Marchetti and British Fashion Council CEO, Caroline Rush. There, the Royal guests saw how Artificial Intelligence is being used to design an unparalleled future shopping experience. Personalised prototype homepages based on Their Royal Highnesses’ diaries brought this vision to life. The guests also witnessed YNAP’s commitment to the next generation of technology pioneers; joining a coding class alongside more than 60 local schoolgirls participating in a hackathon as part of a partnership with Imperial College London.
Caroline Rush CBE, CEO British Fashion Council commented: “The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall have long been supporters of sustainability, wool and local manufacturing. We are honoured that his interest in our Positive Fashion initiative shines a light on the great work being done by individuals and businesses in fashion. The visit to YNAP was a great example of how London leads in ecommerce and how those businesses are not only shaping our industry, but also our local communities”.