The Duchess of Sussex has only just finished guest-editing a fashion magazine and now, the 37-year-old has turned her sights to fashion design. Announcing her new venture in the new issue of British Vogue, Meghan Markle revealed she has teamed up with three British retailers – John Lewis, Marks & Spencer and Jigsaw – to create a fashion line with proceeds going to one of her patronages, the women’s charity Smart Works.
Smart Works was created to help women get back into the workplace by providing them with clothes and the coaching they need to succeed at a job interview. Here in Australia, we have a similar initiative called Thread Together. While the charity is brilliant, Meghan notes that often they don’t have the right sizes and the workwear options can be limited. To help the cause, she teamed up with her friend, designer Misha Nonoo, to create a classic collection to be sold in Marks & Spencer, John Lewis and Jigsaw with one item being donated to Smart Works every time one is sold in store.
“When you walk into a Smart Works space you’re met with racks of clothing and an array of bags and shoes, Meghan explained in Vogue. “Sometimes, however, it can be a potpourri of mismatched sizes and colours, not always the right stylistic choices or range of sizes.”
“To help with this, I asked Marks & Spencer, John Lewis & Partners, Jigsaw and my friend, the designer Misha Nonoo, if they were willing to design a capsule collection of more classic options for a workwear wardrobe,” she continued.
“Taking the idea further, many of the brands agreed to use the one-for-one model: for each item purchased by a customer, one is donated to the charity. Not only does this allow us to be part of each other’s story, it reminds us we are in it together.”
It’s believed the collection will be available later this year, but further details have not yet been confirmed. Fingers crossed we can purchase online from Australia!
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