Independent charity Historic Royal Palaces is working with British fashion house Jaeger to create a new uniform for front of house staff at Kensington Palace as part of the royal residence’s £12 million transformation.

The uniform, to be worn by the palace’s front of house team (around 50 ‘Explainers’, Welcome and Retail staff), will be unveiled on 26 March 2012, when the newly-presented palace will open to the public for the first time, revealing exciting new exhibitions, public gardens, a £1 million Clore Learning Centre, shop, café and improved visitor accessibility.

Created by Jaeger’s Design Director Stuart Stockdale, the uniform is informed by the palace architecture, surrounding landscape, and the lavish interiors of the State Apartments, whilst also incorporating elements from historic royal and court dress.

With the help and expertise of Curator Deirdre Murphy, Stockdale sought inspiration from Kensington Palace’s Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection – an internationally important archive of around 10,000 items of clothing worn by royalty and courtiers from the 17th century to the present day. Amongst the most influential items were examples from the archive’s unparalleled collection of tailoring – in particular, men’s court uniforms from the 19th and 20th centuries, produced by London’s top tailors at a time when British tailoring was at its peak.

“Jaeger’s modern take on tradition suited our desire to create a new uniform inspired by the history and stories of Kensington Palace and its unique collections,” says Murphy. “Working with Stuart on this exciting design project has been a very rewarding experience. It has been fascinating to see how he has used the palace’s historic architectural and interior design details, as well as elements of the Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection to create completely new uniforms which are both contemporary and stylish.”

Items from the wardrobe of Edward VIII (later The Duke of Windsor), who was renowned for his great sense of style, also provided Stockdale with excellent source material.

“It’s a great honour to have had access to the Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection at Kensington Palace. I have been inspired by centuries of royal and court style and married this with modernity to offer the Palace staff a bespoke uniform that they can feel proud of and enjoy wearing,” says Stockdale.  “The new uniform really tells a story and reflects Jaeger’s reputation for timeless and iconic designs that transcend time.”

The uniforms are being manufactured by Jermyn Street Design, based in Hammersmith, London.