Meghan Markle Has Been Quietly Making Moves That Show Her Influential Power in Fashion

While royal fans are anticipating the launch of Meghan Markle’s lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard, the Duchess of Sussex has been quietly making moves in the fashion industry. Her influential style voice has proven to be a winner for her and it shows that there are plenty of people watching her every wardrobe move.

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Meghan’s latest investment in Cesta Collective , a stunning array of “handwoven” bags that are created by “talented female artisans in Rwanda,” shows that she has a golden touch when it comes to elevating small brands. “I spend a lot of time just Googling, looking for brands,” she explained to The New York Times . “When people are online looking for things or reading things, I’m trying to find great new designers, especially in different territories.”

She gave one of their bucket bags a test drive during a dinner with Prince Harry, Cameron Diaz and Benji Madden, and Gwyneth Paltrow and Brad Falchuk in May 2023. As you can imagine, the A-list dinner drew plenty of eyeballs and was a sell-out fashion hit for Cesta Collective. According to Meghan, she first learned about her power in the fashion space after getting engaged to the Duke of Sussex. A Strathberry bag from a Scottish designer sold out in 11 minutes, according to The New York Times — and a r o y a l star was born.

It not only boosted her profile, but it allowed the brand to expand its operations — it was a win-win situation. The Duchess of Sussex revealed how impactful that moment was because it “changed everything in terms of how I then looked at putting an outfit together.” However, not everyone sees it that way. Fashion expert Giorgina Ramazzotti told the Daily Mail that she thinks Meghan decided to go with lesser-known designers because she’s a “ controversial star ,” even though the Duchess of Sussex seems to enjoy shining the spotlight on smaller design houses. She can make a bigger impact on their business model.

Meghan isn’t just looking for undiscovered brands, she’s also known to wear an affordable, yet chic, outfits from larger companies like J. Crew. At the Invictus Games in September 2023, her sweater blazer from the company sent fans into a frenzy of sales — and The Independent praised her fashion savvy. “Social media users hailed Meghan’s sartorial influence after J.Crew’s website crashed, as one person listed other accessories and items of clothing that quickly sold out after the duchess was seen wearing them,” they wrote.

The Duchess of Sussex understands her power in this realm and she’s ready to make a difference as a minority investor in brands like Cesta Collective. It might be just a small taste for fans of what is ahead with American Riviera Orchard.

Before you go, click here to see Meghan Markle’s best post-royal fashion moments below!