Sustainable fashion icon: Kate Middleton

The Princess of Wales is known for her trendsetting fashion looks. She exudes charm, luxury, but more than anything, she is breaking stereotypes and how. And, that’s exactly what caught our attention: Her love affair with sustainable fashion. Following in the footsteps of her late mother-in-law, Princess Diana, who was known for her undisputed styling choices, the Princess has been recycling, repeating not just her casuals but designer occasion wear, too, for her public outings.

She rewears…

Just months after stepping into her royal shoes, Kate Middleton had already begun rewearing her dresses. In fact, the Princess has been recorded to have repeated her outfits more than 80 times; she is acing the rewearing game. Let us take a look at some of her most iconic outfit repeats that make her a true sustainable fashion icon.

Dress: Rolan Mouret; This cream Roland Mouret gown saw two outings, a year apart. At the London’s Claridges, 2012 and Premiere of Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, 2013 — Dress: Rolan Mouret | London’s Claridges, 2012; Premiere of Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, 2013

Dress: Temperley; This black Temperley dress made it to two movie screenings in a year by kate Middleton — Dress: Temperley | Premier of War Horse, 2012; Screening of David Attenborough’s documentary, Natural History Museum Alive 3D, 2013

Dress: Jenny Packham; This tulle gown saw three outings, two in the same year. At the Kensington Palace, 2013, at the Portrait Gallery Gala, February 2014 and at St. Andrews 600th Anniversary Dinner, New York, December 2014 — Dress: Jenny Packham | Kensington Palace, 2013; Portrait Gallery Gala, February 2014; St. Andrews 600th Anniversary Dinner, New York, December 2014

Dress: Diane von Furstenberg; an iconic twist to repeating maternity wear, the Duchess wore black lace gown by Diane von Furstenberg for two public events, one while pregnant with Princess Charlotte and the other while pregnant with Prince Louis three years later. She wore it at the Royal Variety Performance, 2014 and at the Gala dinner for the Anna Freud National Centre, 2017 — Dress: Diane von Furstenberg | Royal Variety Performance, 2014; Gala dinner for the Anna Freud National Centre, 2017

Dress: Jenny Packham; Kate first wore this teal gown by her red-carpet go-to designer Jenny Packham, before re-wearing the same dress 6 years later. An example for real sustainable fashion. — Dress: Jenny Packham | Gala dinner at London Olympic Games, 2012 ; Tusk Awards, 2018

Dress: Jenny Packham; Clearly a red-carpet favorite, the Duchess made another iconic sustainable choice by re-wearing this glittering Jenny Packham gown. She wore it for her Pakistan tour, 2019 and at the Royal Variety Show, 2021 — Dress: Jenny Packham | Pakistan tour, 2019; Royal Variety Show, 2021

She upcycles…

Dress: Jenny Packham; The Duchess recycled this shimmering Jenny Packham dress, staying true to her sustainable style. She first wore it at the Gala Dinner for Ark children’s charity, Kensington Palace, 2011 and then at the Gala Dinner for East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices, Norfolk, 2016 — Dress: Jenny Packham | Gala Dinner for Ark children’s charity, Kensington Palace, 2011; Gala Dinner for East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices, Norfolk, 2016

Dress: Alexander McQueen; The Duchess rewore this recycled embroidered gown dress. She first wore it at her Malaysia tour, 2012 and then at the BAFTA Awards, 2020 — Dress: Alexander McQueen | Malaysia tour, 2012; BAFTA Awards, 2020

Dress: Jenny Packham ; The Duchess revamped this cobalt blue gown, that had earlier been styled with a matching shawl. She first wore this at her India tour, 2016 and then at the Gala dinner for Place2Be, Buckingham Palace, 2020 — Dress: Jenny Packham | India tour, 2016 ; Gala dinner for Place2Be, Buckingham Palace, 2020

She restyles…

Dress: Jenny Packham; A newlywed Kate opted for this lilac gown by Jenny Packham, before recycling the same gown – this time with a different belt – a decade later. First worn at the BAFTAs in LA, 2011 and then at the Earthshot Award ceremony, London, 2021 — Dress: Jenny Packham | BAFTAs in LA, 2011 ; Earthshot Award ceremony, London, 2021

Dress: Erdem; Staying true to her sustainable fashion choices, Kate wore a re-worked version of this floral off-shoulder gown. First worn at BAFTAs, 2017 and then at the National Portrait gala, 2019 — Dress: Erdem | BAFTAs, 2017 ; National Portrait gala, 2019

Dress: Alexander McQueen; In keeping with the ceremony’s sustainable fashion icon code, Kate Middleton rewore this one-shoulder gown by restyling the look with black velvet opera gloves. First worn at BAFTA’s in 2019 and then few years later at BAFTA’s in 2023 — Dress: Alexander McQueen | BAFTA’s, 2019 ; BAFTA’s, 2023

She rents…

Dress: Solace London; The Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, wore this £74 rented Solace London dress .at the Earthshot Prize ceremony, Boston — Dress: Solace London | Earthshot Prize ceremony, Boston

Author: Navmalika Sidhu

What does it mean, when we talk about sustainability in fashion?

As India’s first podcast on sustainable fashion, we bring to you the evolving conversation around fashion sustainability, through the lens of change makers, advocates, brands and people who’ve redefined the way they view and consume fashion. We’re talking about making fashion prettier for the planet, prettier for people, and prettier for you!