Queen Elizabeth II's death granted the Princess of Wales a greater level of royal seniority, and her unrivalled sense of style has undoubtedly seen a shift to match her glittering new title (and inheritance of spellbinding royal heirlooms).
Rarely does the royal debut an entirely new outfit, instead favouring recycled looks for red carpets and tailoring vintage pieces for royal tours. Given that only two per cent of the world's garment workers are paid a livable wage and the fashion industry contributes about ten per cent of annual global carbon emissions, it's never been more refreshing to see the nation's most influential style icon making a case for earth-conscious fashion choices.
Princess Kate is more than the clothes she wears. A doting mother, passionate patron and senior figure of the royal family, the wife of Prince William recently expressed an understandable desire to no longer be reduced to her sartorial choices.
Echoing that sentiment, the Palace revealed they would stop crediting designers for the royal's outfits, with the exception of particularly special occasions, in a bid to refocus the nation's gaze towards Kate's work. And yet, the Princess' fashion influence continues to reign supreme.
The 'Kate effect' is showing no signs of slowing down. When an original sells out, high street giants are quick to recreate a dupe of her latest wears - ASOS even produced a lookalike of the royal's iconic vintage Roland Mouret bardot dress worn to the Top Gun: Maverick premiere.
While the Princess of Wales is unlikely to be scrolling through fashion forums dedicated to her own sartorial influence, the royal is undoubtedly aware of the power her fashion choices have.
HELLO! sat down with Royal Fashion expert Miranda Holder, who weighed in on Princess Kate's unexpected emergence as an ethical royal It-girl.
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The Princess of Wales' sustainable fashion revolution explained
"The moment Kate started dating Prince William the nation was transfixed. It was a true fairytale moment; a 'commoner' marrying a Prince," says Miranda, who earned her fashion stripes as a celebrity stylist.
Kate's enduring love story with the future King instantly positioned her as a relatable figure - her fashion being the easiest element of the royal to replicate.
"Women around the world wanted to be Kate Middleton, and in the early days when Kate mostly favoured high street brands, her fans were able to emulate her, even if it was just a token nod," explains Miranda.
"She manages to tread that awkward line between fashion and the restrictive etiquette limitations of the working royal perfectly - and all this makes utterly compelling viewing, keeping us hooked."
In Miranda's opinion, the Princess of Wales has long possessed the power to revolutionise the fashion industry. While her priorities are very firmly set upon improving the world through her charity work, the royal is effortlessly encouraging her devoted followers to adopt a more sustainable approach to fashion - even if it's not her intention.
"Kate is one of the most prolific outfit repeaters in the royal family, frequently rewearing favourite outfits time and time again," says Miranda.
"I personally loved her divisive BAFTAS look this year. "For me, altering that beautiful McQueen gown into a new shape after she had worn it to the same occasion previously (something the rest of us would perhaps never dream of doing) was sheer genius, with the controversial opera gloves simply emphasising the fact. It was strategic dressing at its best."
The royal's outfit repeating has only amped up since she stepped into her late mother-in-law's shoes as the Princess of Wales.
From reworked Alexander McQueen to upcycling former flattering fits, Kate's stance on sustainable fashion continues to position her as an icon of environmental dressing.
Can we ever expect the Princess of Wales to solely wear sustainable brands?
"In an ideal world, with Kate’s influence, the Princess would only be wearing the most ethical and sustainable brands, and I personally would love to see her in slightly less Zara," Miranda says.
"However the power of Zara is that it’s highly accessible, meaning anyone is able to buy into their own little piece of Kate’s wardrobe."
As far as giving up high street fashion entirely goes, Miranda suggests this isn't a likely reality.
"We must remember that it is royal policy to remain as politically neutral as possible - something which Kate delivers with grace and elegance - which will no doubt be another reason for her mix of high and low end combined with slow and fast fashion."
The lure of fast fashion hasn't yet been trumped by its more sustainable sister - but thankfully, there are now several ways of dressing which are far less impactful on the planet.
Miranda believes the speed at which high street brands turn around low-priced dupes of catwalk looks can be an exciting and inexpensive way of keeping your wardrobe updated, but fast fashion should no longer be our go-to.
What is sustainable fashion?
Eshita Kabra-Davies, founder of By Rotation, echoed Miranda's sentiment that royals embracing the rental revolution is changing the game. But what is sustainable fashion?
"Sustainable fashion enforces the idea that the clothes we wear are created and consumed in a way that protects the environment and the people producing the garments. There are many ways that someone can adopt sustainable fashion choices; such as investing in sustainable brands, buying less but better garments, or renting their clothes instead of buying new," explains Eshita.
READ: 7 simple steps to make your wardrobe more sustainable
"It’s a positive step in the right direction to have royals embrace the rental revolution, especially because they have significant shopping power amongst the non-Gen Z generations."
Just as Kate rented her dress for the Earthshot Prize Awards, Lady Amelia Windsor lists her wardrobe on By Rotation and often rents pieces too. Emulating royal elegance in everyday dressing has never been more accessible thanks to rental platforms like By Rotation rapidly revolutionising the fashion industry, changing the narrative of fast fashion and throwaway culture.
Royal-loved brands like The Vampire's Wife have over 276 dresses on By Rotation's app, and according to Eshita, 'likes' have increased by 76 per cent from just 30 days ago.
"The green Falconetti dress that the Princess of Wales wore for her and Prince William’s first official joint portrait has been rented more than 25 times on By Rotation and continues to be one of our most popular rentals," says Eshita.
"Other popular royal-approved brands such as Maje and ba&sh have popular styles on the app too," she adds.
If renting doesn't entice you, buying second hand is just as powerful for your carbon footprint - something the Princess of Wales has long advocated for.
The latest research from Vinted revealed that when you choose to buy a second-hand fashion item on the app instead of a new one, you save an average of 1.8 kg CO₂e. In simple terms, thrifty fashion fans avoided 453 kilotonnes of carbon emissions last year - the equivalent of taking more than 325,000 cars off the road in the EU annually.
Though our sartorial agendas sometimes long for some dopamine-inducing or trend-led pieces, Kate's stellar capsule wardrobe filled with an arsenal of vintage pieces, tailored fits and quality staples proves how dressing like a royal really doesn't have to harm the planet.
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