The Princess of Wales showcased that a knack for textiles runs in the family as she contributed to completing a unique pair of trousers designed for Prince William.
Catherine, 44, received a warm reception at Hiut Denim, a family-run enterprise located in Cardigan, Wales. Her visit aimed to spotlight the thriving textile industry in Wales.
Her enthusiasm for promoting British manufacturing is partly fueled by her family’s heritage; her paternal ancestors operated William Lupton & Co, a wool merchant and manufacturer in Leeds.
Hiut Denim, which specializes in crafting high-quality jeans exclusively in the UK, welcomed the princess to engage with three trainees. They guided her to a sewing machine where she had the opportunity to stitch the label into a pair of jeans crafted specifically for Prince William.
During her visit, she learned about the process of sewing the ‘Made in Wales’ label into each pair of jeans and remarked, “I love the label Made in Wales. The craftsmanship and attention to detail are evident.”
Despite her high heels, the princess adeptly managed the machine’s pedal. Upon completing the label, she triumphantly held up the finished jeans, which typically retail for £245, and declared, “He will love them.”
Phoebe Phillips, 31, a trainee from Cardigan who showed Kate how to work the machine, said afterwards: ‘She was good. She had a lot of control. She was wearing high heels but there wasn’t any issue with the pedal.’
Earlier, Catherine had been welcomed to the factory by an English cocker spaniel, seven-year-old Barney, who was, appropriately, wearing a denim bow tie.
Johann Von Loeper, Hiut’s CEO, said: ‘This is our factory dog.’
The princess bent down to stroke the pet and was heard telling the staff she has the same breed of dog at home, Orla.
She also confirmed the Daily Mail’s recent exclusive that the Wales family had decided to keep a puppy from the litter Orla recently had, saying: ‘You are lovely! We have the same breed of dog.
‘So we’ve got a little puppy, he’s only eight months, and Orla’s five.’
The princess was given a 45-minute tour of the factory during which she was also handed a pair of scissors and asked to begin cutting denim for a new pair of jeans.
She cut slowly then said: ‘My most adventurous, was a pair of pyjamas, but I don’t know where they are now.’
Speaking to the design team, Catherine asked: ‘Do you do a variety and big range of different denim? How many different cuts and designs have you got currently as part of the collection?’
She was told the jeans are all named after grandparents of staff members, remarking: ‘It’s so lovely, I love the storytelling women through the business.’
Posing for a group photo the princess, who wore green trousers and an eye-catching 1960s vintage Welsh wool coat, joked: ‘I feel like I should have worn a pair of jeans.’
Dozens of locals waited outside to greet the princess as she left the factory, with several well-wishers asking the famous visitor for a selfie, including Kai Owen, 15.
He said: ‘I thought I would never see her again so thought I might as well. I will post it on Instagram, she was very nice in the interaction I had.’
The Princess of Wales was in Wales to raise the fashion stakes as she promoted British craftsmanship.
Hiut Denim, a family-owned company based in Cardigan, Wales, designs and manufactures premium jeans entirely in the UK. Its first jeans factory opened in the 1960s employed over 400 staff crafting 35,000 pairs a week.
But when production moved overseas to Morocco in 2002 there were fears that skills and knowledge would disappear forever.
Hiut was founded in 2011 to train a new generation of craftspeople to ensure the skill did not die. The company offers free repairs of Hiut jeans for life, and has launched their ‘Déjà Blue’ initiative, where they take back unwanted jeans from customers which are then repaired and resold.
Earlier in the day, Kate visited Melin Tregwynt, a woollen mill weaving traditional Welsh designs in a remote wooded valley on the Pembrokeshire coast, which has been in continuous operation since at least 1841.
Melin Tregwynt employs more than 40 local people and holds an extensive archive of traditional patterns, which are carefully preserved and revived so that the craft can be passed on to future generations.
The team focus on Welsh double-cloth weaving, which is a traditional, wool textile technique producing reversible, thick blankets with inverted patterns on each side.
The princess met with Melin’s director Louise Clarke, who showed the full production process, from the weaving machines to the finished products, and introduced some of the talented young weavers who are learning the craft.
The company brings a contemporary approach to denim while remaining committed to high‑quality, UK‑based production.
Cardigan’s heritage as a centre of jeans‑making stretches back to the 1960s, when 400 artisans produced 35,000 pairs each week.
After the industry moved offshore in 2002, much of that expertise was lost.
To finish her day celebrating Welsh textiles, the Princess of Wales privately visited the Welsh Quilt Centre in Lampeter.
The Welsh Quilt Centre holds founder Jen Jones vast collection of quilts – Jen has been collecting Welsh quilts for 40 years and opened the centre in 2009 to give everyone the opportunity to see, enjoy and learn about her remarkable collection as well as examples from other quilting heritages.
As well as exhibitions of quilts, the centre aims to encourage Welsh quilting in its heartland.
The princess viewed some of Jen’s 1000+ piece collection, and then joined a quilting workshop of 8 local women to hear about their current projects and their passion for keeping the historic art of quilting alive.
The women spoke to the princess about using quilting as a tool for connection and to foster a sense of belonging within their community.
She then popped next door to the local Ty Hafan charity shop to thank the volunteers for all they do to support the charity.
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