King Charles is 'fun uncle' to design duo

King Charles is like a “favourite uncle” to designers Vin and Omi.

The eco warrior duo are marking their 20th anniversary with an exhibition of their designs, made from nettles and other plant waste collected from the royal estates, at the monarch’s Sandringham House residence, and although they admitted they are unlikely collaborators, the pair quickly hit it off with the king.

Vin told Britain’s HELLO! magazine: “We’re an odd combo – I mean, look at me.

“You would expect a collaboration with the king to have a lot of barriers, but that wouldn’t work because we’re very fluid and like to just play around and experiment.

“When the kind is relaxed, he’s like your favourite uncle. He laughs, he jokes.

“When we see him, he throws lots of ideas around and is really open to suggestions and he’s way ahead of us when it comes to sustainability, so it’s great working with someone who knows more than we do.”

Vin and Omi’s partnership with the king began six years ago when they met at a function for the Positive Fashion initiative, and though they began their conversation by quizzing the then-Prince of Wales about the impending wedding between his son Prince Harry and actress Meghan Markle, Charles swiftly changed the subject and invited them to meet the gardeners at his Highgrove estate.

Vin recalled: “I was trying to get him to talk about the wedding but he wasn’t interested.

“He said, ‘Come down to Highgrove, I’ve got tons of nettles.’

“And the next day, we got a letter inviting us down. He was really interested in what we did.”

The pair hope their exhibition, ‘Vin + Omi: Royal Garden Waste to Fashion’s Future’ – which will run until 11 October – can encourage royal fans to embrace their message of sustainability.

Vin said: “Omi is autistic and I’ve got ADHD so we’re all over the place.

“And then the king says, ‘Let’s go and experiment with this’ and that fits beautifully with how our heads work.

“We’ve created a business which is very odd. And we love it.”