Net-A-Porter and The King’s Foundation have launched a 13-piece luxury capsule collection, inspired by nature, and hand-crafted by trainee artisans at the foundation’s headquarters at Dumfries House, Ayrshire.
The capsule includes bias-cut slip dresses, elevated loungewear and textural knitwear, emphasising the use of responsible materials and techniques. It is available exclusively at Net-A-Porter.com and 50% of the RRP of each item will be donated to the foundation to support its training programmes, which benefit 15,000 people a year.
This latest launch is the result of the third edition of the pioneering talent programme for emerging fashion and textiles trainees, The Modern Artisan, run in partnership between YOOX NET-A-PORTER and The King’s Foundation.
Since 2019, the collaboration has sought to preserve the legacy of traditional craftsmanship and champion a more sustainable approach to luxury fashion. This year, six fashion and textiles graduates undertook a nine-month paid training programme through the end-to-end process of designing and handcrafting a luxury collection, partnering with the private label design team at YOOX NET-PORTER at their headquarters in London.
Through a six-month residency at Dumfries House, the graduates refined their artisanal skills including sewing, pattern drafting and quality control. To date, The Modern Artisan program has launched the careers of 26 emerging designers and makers over the course of five years.
“At NET-A-PORTER, investing in the next generation of designers is a mainstay commitment, and our partnership with The King’s Foundation reaches far beyond traditional mentorship. This year’s artisans have inspired us with their innovative capsule collection, merging responsible design, artisanal skills, and high-quality materials to meet our customers’ expectations for luxury fashion,” said Net-A-Porter managing director Vikki Kavanagh.
Jacqueline Farrell, Education Director at The King’s Foundation, Dumfries House, added: “Over the last five years, we have been so proud to see how all of our Modern Artisan graduates have gone on to use what they learnt on the course to launch flourishing careers and businesses in the fashion and textile industry. Everything we do here at The King’s Foundation is inspired by His Majesty King Charles III’s vision of harmony, promoting traditional skills and providing holistic, collaborative training for the fashion and textiles professionals of tomorrow. This program is an excellent example of what can be achieved when like-minded organizations work together to nurture new talent, and champion more sustainable ways of working. Inspired by the natural world, this year’s artisans have worked tirelessly to develop and hand-craft a unique capsule collection that will stand the test of time.”
The collection uses traditional craftsmanship techniques such as hand smocking and hand sewing along with the development of fabric handling skills. These are combined with new technologies, with all items containing a Digital ID to tell its story and promote longevity, offering post-purchase care guidance for customers. The collection prioritised the use of deadstock materials, British wool, and natural dyes. A distinctive khaki green natural dye derived from native heathers from the Scottish Highlands, was created, which became a mainstay for the colour base, featuring in the collection’s two-piece lounge suit.
A central ambition of this year’s collection was to showcase fashion’s opportunity to revitalise locally sourced British wool, seeing the artisans collaborating with suppliers known for their commitments to more sustainable practices. The capsule includes a special oversized handknit scarf using “The King’s Clip”: a unique yarn developed for the first time from the fleeces of three flocks of sheep kept at Dumfries House, processed by The Natural Fibre Company in Cornwall into yarn, and knitted into scarves by Corgi in Wales. This marks a milestone in The King’s Foundation’s aim to “reinforce the connections between field and fashion”. The collection also includes two knitwear pieces made in partnership with HERD, a pioneering regenerative yarn and knitwear company, with all four of the ready-to-wear knitwear pieces developed and manufactured by Knitster in London.
As part of the project’s ambition to motivate industry change, YOOX NET-A-PORTER has supported think tank Fashion Roundtable’s development of an open-source mapping tool, creating greater transparency for designers on how to work with British wool. Launching today, the tool The Great British Wool Revival serves as a valuable resource for brands to easily find and partner with farms, mills and suppliers who are committed to reinvigorate the use of British wool in the fashion industry.
The collection is available to buy from today at Net-A-Porter.com and on its app.
