Exclusive: The King's "Italian Secret Weapon" Is Transforming Sustainable Fashion Through Royal Initiatives

When Frederico Marchetti started internet fashion retailer Yoox.com in 2000, he became one of the pioneers of online shopping—and little did he know that two decades later, he'd be working with King Charles to make the fashion industry more sustainable.

Marchetti, who was born in Ravenna, Italy, details his unlikely career in his memoir, The Geek of Chic, which released on September 9. Speaking to Marie Claire, the businessman shares that despite not having a background in fashion, he was able to build Yoox from the ground up—and later combine forces with Net-a-Porter to become chairman and CEO of the Yoox Net-a-Porter Group. Like The King, Marchetti has always had an interest in sustainability, and he says when it comes to fashion, "I think there will be a kind of a survival of the greenest in a way."

This philosophy led King Charles—then the Prince of Wales—to invite Marchetti to lead his Sustainable Markets Initiative’s Fashion Task Force in 2021, going on to appoint him as a trustee of The King's Foundation the same year. Since then, the monarch has come to rely on Marchetti as his "secret weapon" in sustainability, a claim to fame the tech entrepreneur doesn't take lightly.

Marchetti tells Marie Claire that he exchanges "a lot of" letters with The King, adding, "he loves the fact that I bring action to the table. He calls me, with everybody—and also in these letters—his Italian secret weapon." The monarch is also a great lover of Italian culture and food, and Marchetti shares one such visit the King made to Italy.

"When I went to Rome, in this reception, in this beautiful Quirinale dinner, The King wanted to introduce me to the Italian president as his Italian secret weapon," Marchetti continues with a laugh. "It was funny, the King of England introducing me to the Italian president. It was really a funny moment."

Marchetti earned his "secret weapon" reputation through his innovative projects with both The King's Foundation and the Sustainable Markets Initiative. Through his foundation, the monarch has focused on teaching traditional skills to young people, including farming, horticulture, millinery and fashion design. When he approached Marchetti to "come up with a project" for The King's Foundation, it was something the entrepreneur considered "a big demand."

"Compared to him, I'm a beginner," Marchetti says, referring to The King's long history in sustainable projects. However, he shares it was "pretty easy to connect the dots" to combine another of their shared passions: education. Discussing how craftsmanship is a lost art and not seen as "cool" with younger people, Marchetti shares that he came up with the idea of a program called The Modern Artisan.

Combining artisanal skills with modern data, the initiative gave young designers the opportunity to create a sustainable luxury collection using five years of "big data" from Yoox Net-a-Porter to tap into customer demand. Marchetti says the students "came up with a collection that in two weeks, we sold 50 percent...We sold it better than Gucci or Prada, which is funny."

For King Charles, he certainly practices what he preaches. "He's still wearing the same coat, the camel coat, he's still wearing the same shoes, he's still wearing things that are very old because they are made out of good quality, good craft," Marchetti says of The King. Although he's worked in fashion for decades, Marchetti follows the same philosophy, preferring to wear the same pieces because "they are still beautiful" and "still amazing."

Speaking of The King's dedication to his work, Marchetti calls the monarch "an authentic man" who "really cares about the planet." The Geek of Chic author adds, "He's such a hard worker, really, on sustainability. I've never seen anybody so committed like him." Marchetti also appreciates The King's "good British humor", admitting that they have "a great relationship" but they're also "an odd couple."

"I admit it now because a tech entrepreneur with the King of England, it's weird. But it's working. It's working very well," he tells Marie Claire.

One of the biggest projects Marchetti is working on through The King's Sustainable Markets Initiative is a "digital product passport" that gives consumers information about exactly where a garment is sourced. Working with Armani on regenerative cotton T-shirts, Marchetti says that customers will be able to see the journey of the product down to photos of the exact fields where the cotton was grown. The project has quickly drawn interest from other designers, with Marchetti saying inquiries have come in from "basically most of the luxury brands, Italian and French."

Marchetti was a longtime friend of Giorgio Armani, who died following our interview. In a statement, he calls the legendary designer "a giant" in the fashion world, adding, "For more than thirty years, I was fortunate to share unforgettable moments with Mr. Armani on projects both professional and personal."

"Our common passions and interests more recently led us to work together on a regenerative organic cotton project in Puglia, under the aegis of King Charles III’s sustainable fashion task force," Marchetti continues. "I have also had the privilege of serving with him on the board of his company for many years, where I’ve seen firsthand his unique ability to marry timeless creativity with sharp business sense."

Now that he's stepped down from his role at Yoox Net-a-Porter, Marchetti says he's found great purpose in his work with The King. "I'm living a very happy life because I'm doing beautiful things for the planet, which is even more important than making a profit," he tells Marie Claire. "I think to help the next generation is much more fulfilling than just making money."