Christina Dymioti, founder and director of Fashion Heritage Network Cyprus (FHNC), attended a reception at St James’s Palace on Wednesday 14 October 2026 celebrating the contribution of Commonwealth communities in the UK and beyond. She was there as a Global Youth Leader with The Queen Elizabeth II Commonwealth Trust (QECT), representing Cypriot youth as a social entrepreneur.
The reception was hosted by Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla and attended by High Commissioners and representatives of Commonwealth organisations. At large receptions like this, most guests receive only a brief greeting. Christina had the rare opportunity to hold a proper conversation with His Majesty, and the topic was her organisation’s work.
Sustainable fashion as a tool for peace
Christina spoke to the King about FHNC, a youth-led non-profit working at the intersection of fashion heritage, sustainability and intercommunal peacebuilding in Cyprus. She explained how the organisation uses sustainable fashion as a tool for peacebuilding, bringing young people from both communities together through a shared creative purpose. FHNC also supports young emerging designers and sustainable fashion brands by giving them a safe space to co-create and collaborate, and the means to build their careers on the island and contribute to the local economy. His Majesty took a particular interest in the organisation’s green, bicommunal approach.
A conversation on Cyprus
The King expressed his sadness that the division of the island continues and his hope for a resolution soon. He asked how things were progressing, including how the negotiations were going and how the bicommunal work was developing.
Christina told him she is a member of Cyprus’s first-ever bicommunal Technical Committee on Youth, a role to which she was appointed by the President of Cyprus, His Excellency Mr Nikos Christodoulides. She described how collaborative the committee has been, along with the events and initiatives delivered so far, those planned for the future, and the positive impact they are having. His Majesty was delighted to hear of such a positive movement in the peacebuilding landscape. He congratulated Christina on her work and encouraged her and her team to keep going.
Quote from Christina
“Growing up in rural Cyprus, I never imagined I would one day speak with the King about our work. To have a genuine conversation about peacebuilding on our island, and to hear him encourage us to continue, means everything to me and to our team. I am forever grateful to my Commonwealth family, and proud to represent Cyprus and Cypriot youth and to put our island on the map.”
About Christina Dymioti
Christina Dymioti is a UK-based social entrepreneur and marketing professional. She holds a BA in English Language and Literature from the University of Cyprus and an MSc in Marketing Management from the University of Sheffield. She is the founder and director of Fashion Heritage Network Cyprus, a youth creative network that engages young creatives and preserves cultural heritage through sustainable fashion.
Christina is a Global Youth Leader of The Queen Elizabeth II Commonwealth Trust and a founding member of its UK Cohort, which supports young leaders across the Commonwealth. She is also an Associate Fellow of the Royal Commonwealth Society, an Anthropy Emerging Leader and a member of UN Women UK.
In 2024, she won the Culture & Arts Award at the Cyprus Diaspora Forum. In 2025, she was a finalist for the PwC Women of the Future Awards UK in the Culture & Arts category, and she was appointed by the President of Cyprus to the country’s first-ever Technical Committee on Youth, where she is the only youth representative from the diaspora. The committee works directly with the United Nations to foster a peaceful and sustainable future for the island.
Christina regularly speaks at international conferences and mentors young professionals and university students. In 2025, she published an academic article on FHNC in the Handbook of Sustainable Fashion. As a youth leader, she has attended an event at Buckingham Palace to meet the Royal Family.
