The ‘Meghan Markle effect’ is in full force and only getting stronger. Every single outfit is under close scrutiny from her royal fans and the latest piece of clothing to cause a flurry of orders is a pair of black jeans.
On a recent official trip to Cardiff with prince Harry in January, the Duchess-to-be chose a pair of Hiut Denim jeans to wear for the occasion. The small Welsh brand has received so many orders since Meghan’s outing in the £175 ‘Dina’ style, that they’ve been forced to move to a bigger factory to cope with the high demand of orders.
Hiut Denim’s co-founder David Hiett told the Daily Mail, 'We have a backorder waiting list for three months. We are having two more people in and we're moving to a new factory. The effect has been remarkable.'
But this isn’t the first time this has happened. On her first official royal engagement in Nottingham, Meghan Markle accessoried with a leather handbag by small Scottish brand Strathberry – which then sold out within an impressive 11 minutes.
And while this seems like great news for these tiny brands, it can also have a detrimental effect, too. Like when Kate Middleton’s now iconic engagement dress by Issa was so popular, the brand was forced to close as it couldn’t keep up with the huge demand.
We just hope the ‘Meghan Markle effect’ will bring prosperous business to the brands she wears. If we can be sure of anything, it’s that they’ll be plenty more sell-out outfits to come