Palace fashion gala will put Commonwealth on the catwalk
THE Duchess of Cambridge and Countess of Wessex are to team up on behalf of the Queen to host a fashion event to celebrate Britain’s relationship with the Commonwealth.
The pair will host a Commonwealth Fashion Exchange Reception at Buckingham Palace on Feb 19, as part of the lead-up to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.
The fashion reception will be held during London Fashion Week to celebrate a new scheme to encourage cross-country partnerships.
Established designers including Stella Mccartney, Bibi Russell and Karen Walker will be paired with producers in smaller or developing countries who “exemplify traditional handcraft techniques and trades”.
“The initiative uses fashion as a common language and platform to help people understand the modern Commonwealth in a different way,” a Buckingham Palace spokesman said.
“It will showcase the best of Commonwealth contemporary fashion and creativity with an exhibition of some of the bespoke fashion ‘looks’ that are the result of these exchanges.”
While the Queen will host dinners, meetings and formally open the summit, other family members will do their bit for Commonwealth relations.
While the Duchess’s style is analysed around the world at every opportunity, with labels regularly selling out of anything she wears to public engagements, the Countess of Wessex, patron of the London College of Fashion, has also gained style plaudits in recent years for her look.