Go green with Vivienne Westwood & an eco-friendly garden party

Yesterday Marie Claire popped down to Princes Charles' eco-friendly garden party to get some fashion tips from the great Dame herself..

HRH The Prince of Wales' 'A garden party to make a difference' is being held in the private gardens of Clarence House till the 19th September. As part of the 'START' initiative, there is a diverse mix of stalls and activities, encouraging people to adopt a 'greener' lifestyle.

This is the first time the Royal Gardens have been opened up to the public and is something of a mini-festival. With a mix of everything, from fashion, to music, to food and a whole host of celebrity campaigners including Jools Holland, Emma Watson and Rolf Harris, this is the perfect end-of-summer event. And all in the name of the environment!

Things kicked off yesterday with Dame Vivienne Westwood (who is curating the fashion exhibitions) on hand to give recycling tips and Alan Titchmarsh encouraging us to get creative with soil!

For MC, it was straight to the fashion stands where the Red Cross was hosting a pop-up charity store. With donated pieces of designer cast-offs and a D-I-Y knitting table, they were encouraging people to donate their second hand clothing, as well as showing exactly how clothes can be 'upcycled' into useful items, such as first aid boxes and water bottles.

Next up was G-Star RAW, located in a little wooden hut. Famed for its luxury denim, the brand was showing its new sustainable range including RAW Nettle, RAW Recycled and RAW Blend. Raw Nettle, as the name sounds, is a range made entirely of nettles! After a 7 year cultivation process, the end result is durable and insular denim - that is sustainable for the environment. By avoiding cotton farming, they are causing minimum ecological impact while still producing fashionable pieces.

Then onto Ciel, fashion's favourite ethical brand, which was showcasing its beautiful bits in a circular pod. After a SS10 collaboration with Liberty, Ciel has produced beautiful organic underwear with the post-production waste. With cute prints and colours, these are available now on their website ciel.co.uk and make the perfect present! Their gorgeous winter collection includes chunky scarves hand-knitted in Peru and woolly knits and hats, all made from organic materials.

With Emma Watson showcasing People Tree's new collection with a catwalk show on Saturday 11th at 3.30pm, this festival shows that it is possible to be eco-friendly and fashionable.

And if that wasn't enough, there are live cooking demonstrations, with Waitrose, M&S and ASDA stands, food stalls, eco car displays, poetry workshops and tips for energy saving activities...

After sampling some organic carrot cake (delicious!), signing a human-size cork and dancing on an energy powered disco floor, it was finally time for back to the office.

The festival is on from Sept 8th-19th with adult tickets priced £15. startgardenparty.co.uk

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