Kate Middleton says she 'loves the feel and smell' of freshly woven fabric
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Transcript
00:00 Kate Middleton visited Awe Hainsworth, a family-owned textile mill in Leeds.
00:05 The Princess of Wales has a family connection to the company through her paternal ancestors.
00:16 The Royal recycled a green suit by Burberry for the outing.
00:20 Kate Middleton is learning more about her own family history during her latest royal
00:30 engagement.
00:31 On Tuesday, the Princess of Wales stepped out in a green Burberry suit to visit a company
00:37 that has close links to a former mill owned by her ancestors.
00:48 Princess Kate, 41, is widely praised for her impact on fashion lines and designers that
00:53 she wears, and she spent the day learning more about the heritage and innovation in
00:57 an industry that plays such a high-profile role in Britain.
01:07 Kate visited Awe Hainsworth, a family-owned heritage textile mill on the outskirts of
01:19 Leeds.
01:20 Her paternal ancestors were owners of a local woolen manufacturer and merchant William Lupton
01:24 & Co., which was sold to Awe Hainsworth in 1958.
01:34 Kate's great-grandfather Noel Middleton, who married Olive Lupton in 1914, was a director
01:40 of the company.
01:41 Noel and Olive had three sons including Peter Middleton, Kate's grandfather and the dad
01:52 of her father, Michael.
01:53 She had had a chat with her parents, and they had been filling her in.
02:04 Rachel Taylor, a member of the Hainsworth family whose father was the sixth generation
02:08 running the company, tells People, "They had obviously done some research.
02:19 She spoke to a lot of people today.
02:21 We were able to put a bit of bells and whistles onto that."
02:30 Shortly after arriving around midday, the Princess of Wales toured the mill and met
02:35 some of the company's apprentices and their mentors.
02:45 She was told how they supply fabrics to a wide range of customers, from fashion and
02:49 homeware brands to the armed forces.
02:55 A holder of a royal warrant, which signifies that a company is a supplier to the royal
03:02 family, Awe Hainsworth's fabrics were used during the coronations of both the late Queen
03:07 Elizabeth in 1953 and King Charles in May.
03:17 Princess Kate even met Oliver, a mannequin sporting a guardsman uniform and traditional
03:22 bearskin hat.
03:30 Kate was fascinated by the creation of the bright scarlet fabric that's the mainstay
03:34 of the ceremonial uniform of the palace guards.
03:43 Zina Al-Masaw, Operational Excellence Director, tells People, "She loved it.
03:49 It was great that she saw the scarlet tunic which is the iconic red fabric that everyone
03:53 associates with Buckingham Palace and the guards.
04:02 It was great how she was trying to feel everything and get the tactile experience as well."
04:14 She adds that the royal loved the smell of the wool and the texture of it and the handle
04:18 of it.
04:25 Amanda McLaren, Managing Director, adds to People, "What was more interesting for her
04:29 was seeing how it's turned into beautiful red fabric.
04:39 We explained the processes it goes through, from carding to spinning and winding and then
04:43 finishing.
04:51 She was really fascinated by it, and we were able to show her some fabric for the guardsman
04:55 going through the dyehouse.
05:04 She could see it being dyed red, and it becomes very real then."
05:07 They also showed her the manufacturing process, "taking the material from yarn to fabric and
05:12 how traditional machinery and techniques still have vital roles to play in the industry."
05:17 At Awe Hainsworth, they are proud of how they both have many people who've worked there
05:27 for decades, and there are eight-generation Hainsworths among them, but also how they
05:32 bring on new trainees and apprentices.
05:41 She was really interested in the demographic in the mill, Al-Masaw says.
05:45 "We've tried very hard to get succession plans in so we have quite a range of very
05:49 young people and very experienced people, which helps us pass on knowledge and maintain
05:54 that knowledge in the business.
06:02 It was really great," she adds.
06:04 "She was interested in everything we showed her.
06:14 She has a genuine interest in textiles and the heritage.
06:17 She saw every stage."
06:18 In fact, Princess Kate stayed at the event at least 30 minutes longer than expected.
06:31 Kate was even reunited with a familiar piece of clothing during her visit.
06:35 While she was pregnant with her daughter, Princess Charlotte, the royal wore a maternity
06:39 dress by Matterson London that used fabric by Awe Hainsworth.
06:50 The original dress is displayed by the company with a tag indicating its special wearer.
06:58 "The fabric was made here," Managing Director Amanda McLaren tells People.
07:05 "It was really nice to bring that out and share it with her."
07:15 She recognized it immediately.
07:16 She said, "Oh my goodness, I remember that dress.
07:20 For us, it was a nice little touch at the end.
07:29 But for her, it was about coming here and understanding better a fully integrated mill
07:33 and the importance of having socialist skills and expertise that we can pass on to the next
07:38 generation."
07:39 At the company's ultra-modern laboratory, which it uses for cutting-edge innovation
07:50 and product development, Princess Kate was joined by Professor.
08:01 Stephen Russell, the founding director of Future Fashion Factory, FFF, who showed how
08:06 they harness academic and business expertise to bring innovations that will be crucial
08:10 for the future.
08:18 It was one of two textile manufacturers that she visited on Tuesday.
08:22 After Leeds, Kate headed around 84 miles west to Lancaster to another factory to see another
08:27 heritage textile company—Stanfast Barracks, which is a printworks dating back to 1924.
08:41 Now part of the Sanderson Design Group, it uses both conventional printing techniques
08:45 and groundbreaking digital inkjet technology.
08:55 As well as being shown the factory, she met Frida Gormley and Javi M. Royal, who are the
08:59 founders of House of Hackney.
09:07 The interiors brand works closely with Stanfast Barracks to pioneer pilot regeneratively farmed
09:13 materials, which would improve sustainability.
09:22 The partnership is also supporting the next generation of textile specialists by co-creating
09:27 design and manufacturing apprenticeships.
09:36 The outing comes hours after Buckingham Palace announced that King Charles and Queen Camilla
09:41 will welcome Yoon Suk-yol, the president of South Korea, and his wife, First Lady Kim
09:47 Ki-yeon he, to the U.K. for a state visit in November.
09:57 The upcoming state visit may mean an exciting fashion moment is on the horizon for Princess
10:02 Kate.
10:10 It's likely that she will join other royals in sporting a tiara and ballgown for a state
10:14 banquet during the visit
10:15 .
10:16 [END]