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King upcycles Windsor Castle curtains into kimonos

PA Media woman wearing red, yellow and blye kimono, standing next to gatePA Media
The curtains are believed to have dressed the windows in family and private rooms during the late Queen's reign

Old royal curtains have been upcycled into kimonos at the suggestion of the King.

Vast swathes of fabrics, which used to adorn the windows at Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace, were lying unused in storage after they were collected during clear-outs.

The drapery has been repurposed into handmade patchwork kimonos through an initiative by the King's Foundation.

They will be sold at auction for the charity.

PA Media woman is measured for kimonoPA Media
About 50 metres of material was used to create the garments

King Charles put the foundation in touch with curtain storerooms at Windsor Great Park in Berkshire, where out of use royal materials are kept and often repaired.

Students from the charity's batch production skills course used the fabrics as part of a training programme.

In early 2022, students at the organisation's headquarters at Dumfries House in East Ayrshire were sent a range of 30 different patterns.

They were asked to repurpose them into a modern fashion collection, fit for retail.

PA Media woman wears blue and pink kimono, standing among frosty treesPA Media
Each kimono took between eight to 10 hours to tailor by hand

A spokesman for the King's Foundation said: "It was very much the King's idea to use the curtains."

The material spanned more than 40 years of royal curtain design throughout Elizabeth II's reign, dating as far back as the 1950s and up to the 1990s.

'Like Christmas morning'

Jacqueline Farrell, education director for the King's Foundation, said the students were surprised to be handling the historic royal cloth.

"It was like Christmas morning getting those bundles through and opening them all up, and rummaging to see what we'd got," she said.

"I think once they got over the shock of being asked to cut up some royal curtains, the real challenge was in the design."

Ms Farrell said the curtains most likely originally came from the royal family's private sitting rooms.

PA Media model stands outside historic building wearing blue, yellow and red kimonoPA Media
The King’s Foundation was formed in 1986 and focuses on sustainability

Ms Farrell said she hoped the initiative might inspire others around the country to reuse their old curtains for garments or other craft pieces.

"It's not just about making a collection to be sold," she said.

"We hope this project will show what can be done with vintage materials in terms of repurposing and upcycling."

The online auction opens on Sunday and will run until 23:59 GMT on 8 December.

The money raised will go to the foundation to support its future textiles programme, which marks its 10th anniversary next year.

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