Scotland has a rich textile and garment making history and is well-known for its array of traditional fabrics, notably Harris Tweed, tartan and cashmere. Each year the Scottish textile industry exports to 150 countries worldwide and produces fabric for leading fashion houses including Yves Saint Laurent, Chanel and Louis Vuitton.

The Prince’s Foundation Future Textiles programme at Dumfries House based in Ayrshire is aiming to keep the illustrious heritage of the Scottish textile industry thriving for future generations. First established in 2014, the Future Textiles programme encourages young people to embrace traditional textile skills, with the aim of breathing fresh talent into the UK’s fashion and textiles industry. The project was kickstarted by HRH The Duke of Rothesay after listening to the needs of the textile industry’s to fill a skills gap. What has prevailed is a project that succinctly brings together both practical industry knowledge as well as essential education, providing a range of no-cost workshops that are available to secondary school teachers and pupils, as well as those seeking new employable skills.

On October 21st Dumfries House welcomed a host of fashion industry elite including British Fashion Council CEO Caroline Rush, British Vogue Editor-in-Chief Edward Enninful, Mother of Pearl’s Fashion Designer Amy Powell and CEO of Yoox/net-a-porter Frederico Marchetti, to experience first hand the successes of The Prince’s Foundation Future Textiles initiative.

The group met with HRH Prince Charles, as well as co-chairs of The Prince’s Foundation Future Textiles initiative, fashion designer Patrick Grant and Scottish textiles manufacturer John Sugden, to learn about the role of the programme within the fashion industry. They met with Kilmarnock and Loudoun Academy pupils who are currently taking part in the programme, as well as trainees from the LVMH Textile Centre who shared their success stories. A range of discussions also took place amongst students and guests including pressing issues such as sustainability in fashion and the role of textile and fashion education for the next generation.

Words: Rebecca Parker

Photography: Ian Brown