As UK is gearing up in anticipation of the big event of May 6 - the day of King Charles III’s Coronation - one cannot miss the plethora of commemorative merchandise on offer on British high streets, from high-end retailers, to souvenir and charity shops, be it luxury hampers, bespoke food items, designer scarves, china wares, mugs, plates and tea towels, to mark the historical occasion.
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| Bunting made in wool remnants ready to be hung outside Holland & Sherry at Savile Row |
And just one week ahead of the big day, Buckingham Palace released three new official portraits of King Charles III and Queen Camilla, taken in the Palace's Blue Drawing Room by royal photographer Hugo Burnand, showing the King and Queen dressed in blue themselves while endorsing British tailoring and design.
King Charles wears a blue suit by Savile Row tailor Anderson and Sheppard, with a blue tie and white shirt by Turnbull and Asser of Jermyn Street. The Queen is in a blue wool crepe dress from one of her favourite British designer Fiona Clare.
Indeed the royal couple are giving British fashion industry and the general retail business a big boost.
Thus it is not surprising to see all this week and through to May, the neighbourhood of' London's Savile Row including Clifford Street, Old Burlington Street and parts of St James's are celebrating the Coronation with over a mile of bunting, created by apprentice tailors in participating companies using red, white and blue wool Melton fabric from AW Hainsworth, as wool is a fabric historically used in the iconic red military uniforms.
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| Military uniforms made from wool at Gieves & Hawkes (Royal Warrant Holder) |
This is the initiative of The Campaign for Wool of which King Charles III convened in January 2010 while he was HRH The Prince of Wales, in association with Savile Row Bespoke. As a long time campaigner for sustainable and renewable sourcing, King Charles has long been supportive of wool due to its biodegradable qualities. The bunting is reusable and will be used for future events, according to Campaign for Wool.
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| Bunting being prepared at Richard James of Savile Row and Clifford Street |
Chair of Savile Row Bespoke, Anda Rowland, says in a press release, Savile Row has had a very long relationship with The Royal Household.
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| A tailor at Anderson & Sheppard preparing bunting made from remnant Melton wool supplied by Hainsworth. |
"To celebrate The Coronation of His Majesty King Charles III, the cutters and tailors put their skills to work to create bespoke woollen bunting from remnant Melton cloth from Hainsworth, a British mill with a remarkable heritage across the decades and especially with the military uniforms. With over a mile of bunting, it will hang from 100% wool rope ensuring the bunting will be completely biodegradable, plastic-free and reusable.
"The Campaign for Wool is King Charles' personal initiative as Prince of Wales, launched to assist wool growers from throughout the Commonwealth to challenge the rise of toxic synthetic fibres in the worlds of fashion and the built environment," said Ms Rowland.
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| Gieves & Hawkes |
Historically wool has been used in many Royal events and for its natural performance benefits for clothing, interiors and other more unusual products. It is anticipated for wool to feature predominantly as part of the Coronation and to play an integral part across multiple applications, each use highlights wool's manynatural performance benefits of comfort, crease resistance, moisture management and breathability, sound absorption and reproducibility, safety, longevity, versatility and durability.
"Wool will be used in virtually every part of the Coronation, from beginning to end."
"The 6,000 military, naval and air force personnel from the UK and Commonwealth will wear uniforms made from 15 miles of wool uniform fabric. In addition, there will be formal dress, regalia and vestments, red carpets, hassocks and alter cloths, wool-filled saddles and blankets, undercrofts and ceilings cladded in wool for essential non-flammable insulation, canapies and awnings, casement linings for organs, pianos and percussion instruments, to mention just the essentials in evidence on the day, " said Sir Nicholas Coleridge, Chairman of the Campaign for Wool.
All images above from Campaign for Wool / Savile Row Bespoke.
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