Wherever a member of the royal family goes, the camera follows. That's the impact of the royals. This effect can also be seen in the local economy and it is so valuable to the point that it changes the lives of many people. Like for instance, the several local brands in Australia that Meghan Markle inadvertently helped boosting their sales or avoiding bankruptcy.
The Duchess of Sussex accompanied her husband, Prince Harry, to a royal visit in Australia last year. During their tour, Meghan Markle wore several outfits made by local designers. One of which is the $1,290 navy folded sail dress by Dion Lee. Meghan Markle wore the sleek dress when she visited Melbourne Government House with Prince Harry in October 2018.
A year later, Lee talked about the "Meghan Markle effect" on his business and how the Duchess of Sussex brought his brand to the international market. Dion said he and his team made several outfits for the Suits alum and they found out that she wore one of the dresses when they watched her on the news.
He said, when it was revealed that the Duchess of Sussex's navy blue dress was made by him, their official website crashed because of inquiries about the outfit. They received over 600 inquiries for pre-order and their Instagram followers had also increased by 5,000.
"It definitely has a huge reach and an international impact," Lee said.
Lee said his Australian customers are dying to get their hands on the dress but, more importantly, Markle helped boost his brand to the world. He said the specific dress was coutured for Meghan but it will now go into production in their Resort 2019 collection.
Dion Lee is not the only Australian brand that benefited from the Meghan Markle effect. Australian brand, Oroton, is believed to have dodged bankruptcy after a surprise endorsement from the Duchess of Sussex. In 2018, Meghan stepped out for an official royal appearance with Prince Harry in London with a black-and-white striped cross-body bag from Oroton.
Meghan also increased the sales of Australia's Outland Denim by 640 percent when she was spotted wearing a pair of its black jeans during the couple's royal tour Down Under. The brand told Bustle that the Duchess' jeans were sold out within 24 hours.
Outland Denim also gained a sizeable number of clients on its waiting list and thousands of new Instagram followers. In addition, the company also hired more seamstresses on its production site in Cambodia to meet demands. Outland Denim is an Australian company that provides jobs to survivors of sex trafficking and women at risk of falling into poverty in Cambodia.
