He's been at the forefront of sustainable fashion for many years and now the Prince of Wales has revealed the secrets of his style.
Prince Charles famously prefers to repair and reuse items in his wardrobe and says he cares about "detail and colour combinations".
And his careful approach has seen him set up a monthly repair shop – a "thrift market" at Dumfries House in Scotland where people can take items to be mended.
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Asked about his dress sense in an interview with British Vogue Editor-in-Chief Edward Enniful, the heir to the throne says: "I thought I was like a stopped clock – I'm right twice every 24 hours. But… I'm very glad you think it has style.
"I mind about detail and colour combinations. I'm lucky because I can find marvellous people who are brilliant makers of the things that I appreciate, and because of that, I try to keep them going for longer."
Like his sister the Princess Royal, the future King has been spotted wearing items dating back to the 1980s or earlier, including a pair of handmade shoes by John Lobb and a brown herringbone Anderson and Sheppard coat.
© Nick KnightCharles pictured at Highgrove in a linen jacket from Anderson and Sheppard made in 1990.
Credit: Nick Knight
"I happen to be one of those people who'd get shoes – or any item of clothing – repaired if I can, rather than just throw it away," he explains. "And that’s why I think, from an economic point of view, there are huge opportunities for people to set up small businesses involved with repair, maintenance and reuse."
Charles's dedication to sustainable clothing has led him to set up "a kind of thrift market" at Dumfries House in Scotland.
"When I was a child, we used to take our shoes down to the cobbler in Scotland and would watch with fascination as he ripped the soles off and then put new soles on," he adds.
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© Photo: Getty ImagesA thrift shop has been set up at Dumfries House in Scotland
His Prince's Foundation runs a textile training project at Dumfries House, where students learn traditional sewing, tailoring and embroidery skills.
Since April last year the repairs service has been part of a regular monthly Sunday market at Dumfries House, although it has been on hold during the coronavirus outbreak.
Staff from the textiles programme offer – and teach – basic repairs such as sewing on buttons, inserting zips and mending tears in garments to encourage people to keep wearing pieces they love rather than buy new.
Jay Blades is an ambassador for The Prince's Foundation
Fittingly, Jay Blades, presenter of the hit BBC show The Repair Shop, became an ambassador for The Prince's Foundation in July.
The Prince adds: "A lot of the students we train here are snapped up by local firms – the ones that are left in the textile sector. But it seems to me there are huge opportunities, particularly now, within the whole sustainable fashion sector, to counter this extraordinary trend of throw-away clothing – or throwaway everything, frankly."
The students are about to unveil The Modern Artisan Project, a sustainable fashion collection created in collaboration with design students in Italy.
The December issue of British Vogue, available via digital download and on newsstands Friday 6 November
