The downside of the Meghan effect From her Stella McCartney fishtail halterneck gown worn to the royal wedding reception, to her vast collection of Strathberry bags and Burberry coats, women from London to Los Angeles can’t help but covert the Duchess of Cambridge’s royal looks.
And while photos of the Duchess wearing a brand’s pair of jeans might cause items to sell-out in seconds, websites to crash, and fashion houses to double their effect to supply demands, we often overlook the downside of the so-called Meghan Effect.
To put it simply, the Meghan Effect’ is the phenomenon where every item of clothing Meghan Markle wears immediately sells out. While the term might sound twee, it’s worth noting that in April, Women’s Wear Daily estimated the total effect of Markle’s choice of clothing on the fashion industry at a staggering £160m ($212.1m).
In other words, Meghan Markle means serious business.
In a new interview with Maclean’s, the chief marketing officer and vice president at Canadian jeweller Maison Birks has opened up about the effect of the new royal loving wearing their pieces, describing it as both positive and slightly negative.
But all messaging pertaining to Birks right now has to do with the duchess wearing our pieces.
Now, it’s worth noting that the royal’s influence on the fashion industry can’t be helped the Duchess can only choose to wear a certain garment. Whether it sells out or signals financial crisis or brand identity issues for a company comes down to us, the fashion-obsessed members of the Markle army.
However, you can’t help but feel sympathy for a brand’s whose name can so quickly become synonymous with a celebrity.
We’re launching new collections in the fall, but nobody cares unless the duchess decides to buy a piece and wear it, added Hartling.
Meghan’s love for Birks first came to light when she wore Maison Birks jewellery in her first public outing with Prince Harry at the Invictus Games in Toronto in August 2017.
However, while her continued ‘support’ of the brand resulted in an increase in its website’s traffic, popularity really picked up when it was announced she was to become a royal. Maclean reports the company saw a 400 per cent spike in online sales and views on the day of the engagement announcement.
As a result, Hartling calls Meghan’s affection for Birks a textbook example of what organic PR should be, which has no doubt been encouraged by her BFF and stylist Jessica Mulroney.
Birks reportedly hired the fashion consultant in 2011 as its jewellery style expert her daughter has even appeared in adverts for the brand however it’s claimed they no longer have a formal relationship.
While Meghan decided not to wear Birks jewellery on her wedding day rather a pair of round diamond earrings and a bracelet made by Cartier, according to the Palace her mother, Doria Ragland, and Mulroney both reportedly wore pieces not yet available to the public.
In November 2010, the Duchess of Cambridge stepped out in a simple blue dress called the Sapphire London dress, designed by Issa’s founder and former creative director, Rio-born Daniella Helayel.
Less than 24 hours later, the dress became an overnight sensation and sold out from British retailer, Harvey Nichols, and resulted in the brand’s designs being sold out in more than 43 countries, according to reports.
However, the unprecedented popularity for Issa’s former brand, while amazing for sales, was disastrous for her business.
The bank refused to give me credit, and the factory was screaming for me to pay its bills. I needed an investor, she explained.
After Camilla Al-Fayed, a friend of the designer’s, offered to buy a 51 per cent stake in the company, the company recruited a new CEO in 2012, which subsequently saw Helayel leave the brand as creative director in May 2013. Two years later, the label closed.