Have you heard of the label Mackage? A year ago the answer was likely no. But that was before the label’s unofficial spokesperson Meghan Markle vaulted the Canadian brand into the global conversation.
It was a grey Friday in Northern Ireland when Markle wore a waterfall collared double-faced Australian wool coat that cost £551. But for designers Eran Elfassy and Elisa Dahan, the sun was shining as this endorsement propelled the label’s site traffic to five times its daily average.
‘Meghan has a huge impact on the brand as all three items she has worn have completely sold out’, explains Elfassy and Dahan who launched the label nearly two decades ago in 1999. Though Mackage is stocked in 27 countries and has several freestanding stores, the so-called ‘Meghan effect’ has boosted the brand to a new vantage point. ‘When she was seen wearing the Elodie jacket our website had quadrupled in traffic, and when she wore the Mai [coat] our website saw five times the traffic’, they reveal.
The dint of her appeal has buoyed their social media following too. The label gains 1500-2000 new followers when the former actress wears one of their pieces. The oscillations of the bride-to-be’s wardrobe choices can be felt in their media impressions too, which reached 1.6 billion within 24 hours of a photo of Markle wearing one of their items. Elfassy says, ‘[h]er visibility really extends [our] reach especially to those in UK where we have seen our site traffic increase by 200% in the recent months.’ It would be hard to name and advertisement or influencer that has such a bombastic effect as Meghan.
See: Meghan Markle And Prince Harry's Relationship Timeline
Meghan Markle And Prince Harry's Relationship Timeline
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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle met in London in July 2016.
2 of 32Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
They were introduced by mutual friend Markus Anderson, who is the director of Soho House.
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In October 2016, the Express became the first newspaper to publish news that Prince Harry had a new girlfriend.
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On November 8th 2016, Kensington Palace released an unprecedented statement which referring to Markle as Harry's girlfriend for the first time.
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In the statement, Prince Harry condemned the 'wave of abuse and harrassment' faced by Markle, saying that he was 'worried about Ms. Markle's safety and is deeply disappointed that he has not been able to protect her.'
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'It is not right that a few months into a relationship with him that Ms. Markle should be subjected to such a storm,' the statement continued.
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The couple were papped together for the first time in December 2016, shopping for a Christmas tree in London at the Pines and Needles store.
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Later that week, they were seen on London's West End, catching a performance of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.
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In February, Prince Harry wore a his 'n' hers bracelet on the cover of Town & Country magazine, just weeks after Markle was pictured wearing the same one on Instagram.
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In March 2017, Meghan joined Prince Harry in the Caribbean for the wedding of his friend's Tom 'Skippy' Inskip and Lara Hughes-Young.
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It was the first time that Markle accompanied Harry to a wedding, marking another milestone occasion for the couple.
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The first public event attended by the couple was the polo at Coworth Park in May 2017.
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Later in May, Markle attended the party portion of Pippa Middleton's wedding to James Middelton.
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Prince Harry was seen driving her to the event after the church ceremony.
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The couple were photographed together the following day at the wheelchair tennis.
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The couple 'broke with royal protocol' by holding hands and appearing affectionate while at the Invictus Games.
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In an interview with Vanity Fair, Meghan referred to Harry as her boyfriend numerous times, saying: 'We're a couple. We're in love. I'm sure there will be a time when we will have to come forward and present ourselves and have stories to tell, but I hope what people understand is that this is our time.'
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In early November 2017, it was reported that Meghan Markle was leaving Suits after seven series.
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Much was made of Markle's choice of outfit: ripped jeans and a white blouse called 'The Husband'.
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Although Prince Harry was sat next to First Lady Melania Trump at the event, rather than his girlfriend, she was only seated a few rows behind him.
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The couple made their first official public appearance in September, when Markle attended the opening of Prince Harry's Invictus Games.
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In mid-November 2017, bookies suspending betting on an impending royal engagement, as speculation grew that an announcement was about to be made.
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On November 27th 2017, Prince Charles announced the engagement of his younger son Prince Harry and Meghan Markle after 15 months of dating.
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The couple later appeared at a photocall, with Markle wearing a white dress coat by Canadian brand Line The Label. The website has subsequently crashed.
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The engagement ring, by Cleave and Company, was reportedly designed by Prince Harry himself, using two stones that belonged to Princess Diana.
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When asked by waiting photographers if the proposal was romantic, Harry joked 'of course!'
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The couple indulged in some PDA at the closing ceremony.
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Meghan wore a maroon midi dress with a pleated chiffon skirt by one of her favourite Canadian brands Aritzia.
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She teamed it with a matching burgundy biker jacket by Mackage.
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Prince Harry reportedly spent time with Meghan's mother Doria while at the Games too.
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Prince Harry was photographed kissing Meghan.
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In late September 2017, it was reported that Meghan had met the Queen, prompting speculation that the relationship was getting serious.
Meghan’s power to shift relatively unknown labels has made her a fashion unicorn. Regularly compared to Michelle Obama, the star of Suits is unlike her sister-in-law-to-be the Duchess of Cambridge in that she uses her soft-power to promote off-the-rack labels. Where the Duchess spends months having pieces specially tailored, Markle has diplomatically shone a spotlight on smaller contemporary labels from across the world. Though she’s shown obvious favour to her adopted home, Canada, by wearing brands like Mackage with seeming regularity, what she wears next is never a given.