Turquoise Mountain Private View at Sotheby's Last Friday in Celebration of Islamic Art Week. Featuring works created by Afghan, Syrian, and Palestinian artisans

This amazing charity has generated $37m of sales of crafts since it launched in 2006.

This Turquoise Mountain exhibition features works created by Afghan, Syrian, and Palestinian artisans, highlighting the beauty and resilience of traditional craftsmanship.

I first met Shoshana Stewart at the summer celebration for The King’s Foundation Awards at St James’ Palace. I was one of the judges for the awards and as you would expect there was a high ratio of glamorous outfits, flawless service and bagpipe players. It was also one of the hottest days of the year and the sight of burly Scottish men in 3 piece Harris Tweed suits sweltering in a heated haze, became quite the conversation starter. There was also a selfie stand and thinking my son might like to see me the photos, to share in the moment, I posed for the photographer - only to have literally everyone walk past me. For someone like me, who is not as Carine Roitfeld once famously said “you have to fall in love with ze camera,” this was fast becoming as out of my comfort zone as I could get. I saw this woman laughing and instantly struck up a conversation. You know the kind of woman who is in on the inner joke. That woman was Shoshana, President of Turquoise Mountain. Served me right for posing, I felt. I say posing, for someone who worked as a fashion editor for as long as I did, it is amazing that I know everyone else’s light and angles, but not my own. It took History Alice, one of the 35 under 35 ambassadors for The King’s Foundation to show me how to pose, and those photos are now on my fridge in the kitchen.

Turquoise Mountain is one of those charities which when you learn more about the work it does, you think how did no one else think of this before. Launched in 2006 by HM King Charles iii “to revive historic areas and traditional crafts, to provide jobs, skills and a renewed sense of pride.” It has generated over $37m worth of business through crafts, with partnerships ranging from jewellery with Pippa Small, interiors for The Connaught Hotel, and carpets with Christopher Farr.

In the summer I attended another private view at Sotheby’s, where the most stunning carpets designed by Afghan designer Maryam Omar, using Afghan silks and wool, were on display. They powerfully showed how storytelling, heritage skills and design craftsmanship, can create poetic new designs. These are not only beautiful, they are preeminently sellable. The price point is consciously within range of a mid-market budget. Luxury on a bespoke level with a relatively affordable retail value, meaning there is more sell through and a more scalable ROI. This is smart business, conscious charity.

The situation in Afghanistan with the return of the Taliban, makes this all the more important, as the Afghan carpet weavers are so often the only working adult in a family. Sometimes, the money made from creating one of these stunning carpets is literally feeding a family of 8.

Craft creating impact, showing me once again the potency of heritage craft skills as a driver for creative wellbeing and cultural diplomacy.

What: Turquoise Mountain exhibition in celebration of Islamic Art Week at Sotheby’s London

Where: Sotheby’s, 34-35 New Bond Street, London, W1S 2RT until November 5th.