London: Prince Charles, the heir to the British throne, has urged people to wear more old and recycled clothes, and natural fabrics like him so as to help reduce the world`s carbon footprint and halt climate change.
In an article for this month`s `Vogue` magazine, he wrote about his passion for reusing and repairing things. "On the whole, the older some things are, the more comfortable and familiar they become; they can even be adapted to look new in a different context.”
"Someone has been imaginative enough to make cuff links out of the previous engine from my 40-year-old Aston Martin and to sell them in aid of my trust for young people.”
"I even have shoes made from leather salvaged from an 18th century wreck. They are totally indestructible and will see me out," the Prince wrote.
The shoes were made in 1987 from leather recovered from a Danish brigantine, which sank off Plymouth in 1786. Its cargo of hides was discovered by divers in 1973.
Charles, who as Duke of Cornwall was the owner of the wreck and its contents, allowed the divers to sell the hides to finance the salvage operation. In return, he was given the first pair of leather shoes.
In Vogue, Charles also wrote about the popularity of recycling clothes.
"Not so long ago, wearing old or secondhand clothes tended to be an embarrassment to many, yet now `vintage` outfits are on red carpets all over the world," the `Daily Express` quoted him as saying.
He praised the trend called upcycling -- taking old clothes and refashioning them with a modern twist -- and urged the fashion industry to use materials such as wool to create products that do not harm the environment.
PTI
