King Charles III Has Worn the Same Leather Brogues Since 1971
King Charles III knows the power of a long-lasting shoe — after all, the royal has kept the same pair in his rotation for over 50 years.
The royal — who will be officially coronated as King of the United Kingdom in a ceremony on Saturday — revealed in 2018 that he has kept the same pair of shoes in his wardrobe since 1971: a pair of mahogany leather brogues, which he’s been seen in as early as 1971 while visiting Jesus College in Oxford, England.
The style is a popular one in the King’s rotation, worn from formal events to everyday occasions — like the royal family‘s 2023 Easter service.
“I have always believed in trying to keep as many of my clothes and shoes going for as long as possible — some go back to 1971 and one jacket to 1969! — through patches and repairs, and in this way I tend to be in fashion once every 25 years,” the royal told the Australian Financial Review Magazine in April 2018, as reported in the Daily Mail.
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The cause, he elaborated at the time, was due to efforts to dress more sustainably. Particularly as fast fashion rises in popularity and contributes to clothing waste, Charles has emphasized the importance of circular dressing.
Indeed, sustainability is a top value for the royal, who even gave a damehood to fashion designer Stella McCartney — who’s made sustainability and utilizing eco-friendly materials for her namesake label a priority since it was founded in 2001 — in February 2023.
“It is extraordinary how fashions change,” Charles said in the same 2018 interview, “and, speaking as someone who, on the whole, hates throwing away things without finding another use for them or mending them, I couldn’t be more delighted if, at last, there is a growing awareness of the urgent need to get away from the ‘throwaway society’ and to move towards a more ‘circular economy.'”
Similar shoes in King Charles III’s wardrobe — seen during his recent appearances with Queen Consort Camilla — are often paired with matching blazers and trousers in hues including blue, gray and black. The royal frequently wears classic leather brogues and loafers in neutral hues for a range of occasions, occasionally swapped for lighter linen pairs while on the beach. These often hail from traditional British shoemakers, including Tricker’s, Benson & Clegg and Crockett & Jones.
