The Meghan Markle sparkle: How the Duchess of Sussex has worn little-known fashion brands – with stunning results for their sales and profits

The Duchess of Sussex knows her influence and impact and has been a powerful force in the world of fashion and entrepreneurship, especially for small and up-and-coming brands. 

It was in 2017 that Meghan Markle first realised her power as a fashion influencer. 

On her debut official royal engagement with Prince Harry in Nottingham, she carried a tote bag by the Edinburgh-based family fashion brand Strathberry.

The bag sold out in 11 minutes on the company’s website and web traffic skyrocketed by 5,000 per cent.

More recently, Mehgan bought a stake in the small handbag label Cesta Collective and showed off one of their products in Colombia last month. 

She explained her strategy behind where her support goes, telling the New York Times: ‘Times where I know there is a global spotlight, and attention will be given to each detail of what I may or may not be wearing, then I support designers that I have really great friendships with, and smaller, up-and-coming brands that haven’t gotten the attention that they should be getting.’

Below, we reveal the brands Meghan has showcased, often unexpectedly in favour of more established names. 

Cesta Collective 

Meghan recently invested in Cesta Collective, an accessories brand specialising in basket bags handwoven by a collective of women in Rwanda and finished in Italy.

She discovered them during an online shopping spree.

Her investment will have come as no surprise to many.

The royal has been spotted on several occasions over the years toting the brand’s signature woven bags, including during her recent tour of Colombia with Prince Harry. 

She was first photographed carrying the label’s £611 Bucket Bag when out for dinner with Cameron Diaz and Gwyneth Paltrow in May 2023.

Following the flurry of sales, founders Courtney Weinblatt Fasciano and Erin Ryder reached out to Meghan’s team to thank her for her support which led to the investment. 

After starting out with just five sample styles, it’s clear that Cesta Collective is going from strength to strength with Meghan’s backing.

Kimaï

Another example of how Meghan’s influence has impacted sales was the rise of lab-grown diamond company Kimaï, back in 2019.

The brand’s website had only been up and running for two months when she wore its £630 pavé diamond wave crawler Felicity earrings, which immediately sold out.

It sparked sales of £945,000, according to co-founders Jessica Warch and Sidney Neuhau. 

Kimaï has become one of Meghan’s favourite jewellery brands for daytime occasions.

She recently wore a pair of semi-hoop earrings during her visit to Nigeria in May.

Since then, they have been one of the Belgian brand’s best sellers.

Johanna Ortiz 

‘When people are online looking for things or reading things, I’m trying to find great new designers, especially in different territories,’ Meghan told the New York Times recently.

One of those designers now being supported by Meghan is Johanna Ortiz, who has been championed by the Duchess for more than a year now. 

The Duchess has worn her pieces on several occasions, including at the Women of Vision awards in May 2023.

She has also opted Johanna Ortiz outfits on different tours, first in Nigeria and most recently in Colombia, the designer’s home country.

There she wore a £1,595 showstopper.  

All of Meghan’s chosen frocks featured woven fabric and a small cut-out detail at the bodice and were an instant sell out after being showed off by Meghan. 

Roxanne First 

Roxanne First launched her label in 2018, and Meghan wore the brand’s Snake hoop earrings to the Endeavour Awards with Prince Harry in 2020.

The event was the couple’s final appearance as working senior royals.

‘It was quite an iconic set of images, which did go fairly viral at the time,’ Ms First told Forbes.  

‘The next day we were inundated with orders for these gold hoops, and a clear majority of sales came from the US. 

‘It was a phenomenal amount of orders!’ 

Sales for the hoops increased by 500 per cent after Meghan wore them, and the US is now a top-three market for the brand. 

‘Being worn by a royal definitely has the power to raise brand profile as well as awareness,’ Ms First added 

‘It’s also a huge compliment to be worn by one of the royals, especially as we are fairly young brand.’

Jennifer Chamandi 

Meghan loves designer shoe labels, in particular the likes of Manolo Blahnik, Aquazzura and Jimmy Choo.

But for International Women’s Day, she chose to support a less established female footwear designer. 

Lebanese-born Jennifer Chamandi Boghossian left her career as a senior banker at Merrill Lynch to start her brand after spending years on the trading floor, where she developed strong opinions on what makes a great pair of heels.

She also developed her signature eye of the needle detail, which was patented in 2018.

The flourish was seen on the two-tone £550 Lorenzo style worn by Meghan. 

According to Ms Chamandi, the effect was instantaneous. 

‘We had messages from stockists globally, wanting to know how quickly we could deliver a shipment of the style,’ she recalled to Harper’s Bazaar. 

‘Being a British brand, having a member of the royal family wear my shoes was a dream come true. After another intense lockdown, it felt like a ray of optimism.’

Heidi Merrick 

Attending the Royal Salute Polo Challenge in Florida, Meghan looked immaculate in a £421 ivory silk-hemp dress by sustainable California-based label Heidi Merrick.

It featured a scarf-style, halter neckline tied in a bow at the nape of the neck, and a cutaway section at the ribcage.

Within hours, every size was sold out on the Heidi Merrick website.

The brand says it aims to, ’empower women to be their most beautiful and best selves.’ 

Further maximising Heidi Merrick’s exposure during the tour of Nigeria, Meghan wore a backless design which was aptly named the Windsor.

She has also worn their sunglasses on several occasions. 

Sophie Lis 

At the Invictus Games in 2022, Meghan debuted a £400 Love pendant by British jewellery designer Sophie Lis.

She explained: ‘It was a real pinch me moment, I knew she owned a collection of pieces from the brand, but nothing quite prepares you for the Meghan effect.’ 

The attention the brand received was like nothing they had experienced before, driving sales around the world. 

Meghan once again turned to the boutique jewellery designer for her final solo royal engagement, wearing the £230 glittering fallen star earrings signifying good luck and protection from evil. 

These appearances became front page news, leading to sales in the American market that helped the brand to expand.

Outland 

During their visit to Australia in 2018 – at the start of which Meghan and Harry announced they were expecting their first child – the Duchess wore a £120 pair of black jeans in a style known as the Harriet from the relatively under-the-radar brand Outland. 

The firm, which was founded by James Bartle in 2011 to support victims of sex-trafficking, was part of Markle’s effort to wear ethically produced clothing. 

Following Meghan’s appearance in the denim there was an immediate 3,000 per cent increase in web traffic, and sales increased by a staggering 640 per cent. 

The denim maker has since been able to hire 46 new seamstresses in Cambodia, raising their total number of employees to 130. 

‘The Duchess of Sussex’s appearance coming off an aeroplane in Dubbo in October 2018 had more of an impact than anyone could have imagined,’ the label wrote on its website. 

‘Quite simply, we were overwhelmed with support, orders and interest in our brand.’

Mother Denim 

Mother Denim was one of the first brands to experience the Meghan Effect, after the former actress wore its £160 skinny-fit Looker jeans to the 2017 Invictus Games in Toronto.

The outing was her first public appearance as Harry’s girlfriend. 

The style was old season, so the label’s founder Lela Becker reissued it following the high demand and requests.

The day after Meghan wore their jeans, Mother Denim saw nearly a 200 per cent increase in traffic on their website together with a huge spike for the month of October, beating their sales forecast by nearly 20 per cent. 

The impact proved to be enduring, and when the couple tied the knot in Windsor nine months later, demand rocketed again, generating a 4,000-strong waiting list for the style. 

The brand was forced to restock the style Meghan wore three times within the space of a season to keep up with demand.

Finlay & Co 

All eyes were on Meghan’s sartorial choices as she stepped out as Harry’s new girlfriend at the 2017 Invictus Games.

She gave small London-based eyewear company Finlay & Co a huge boost by opting for their £120 Percy frames for the outing.  

The product sold out immediately, with the company seeing a 1,000 per cent increase in sales and making £20,000 overnight. 

Although 37 per cent of visitors to the website came from the UK, the majority were based in America, meaning Finlay & Co found a new audience across the poind. 

The Meghan effect did not stop there. Their growing popularity allowed them to open a flagship store in London. 

Co-Founder David Lochhead commented: ‘She [Meghan] wore the same frames in November and another surge came.’ 

The four months of September, October, November and December 2017 became the highest grossing months since the brand’s launch five years prior.

Veja 

Duchess Meghan wore Veja’s V10 £115 sneakers while watching the 2018 Invictus Games sailing final in Sydney Harbour.

Her appearance in the sustainable shoe brand founded by Frenchmen Sébastien Kopp and François-Ghislain Morillion turned the trainers into the third hottest product according to Lyst.

Online searches for the brand increased by 113 per cent the day after Meghan wore them, and its Instagram received thousands of new followers.