Meghan Markle Used Her Outfits to Send Messages When She Couldn’t, She Says

You might not have heard the term "The Meghan Effect," but if you've ever wanted to buy something the Duchess of Sussex has worn, you're likely familiar with the experience of products flying off the shelves. From jeans to jewelry, whatever Meghan Markle wears (or in the case of her As ever jam, makes) tends to sell out, and in her first-ever podcast interview, the duchess reflected on how she used this phenomenon to support causes when she felt like she didn't have a voice.

Speaking with her close friend Jamie Kern Lima on the IT Cosmetics founder's self-titled podcast, the Duchess of Sussex opened up about her intentional wardrobe choices. Kern Lima pointed out that after Meghan wore a bracelet from Valencia Key, the business "had an 11,000 percent increase in sales" and "everything sold out."

"There's this thing known as the 'Meghan Effect,'" Kern Lima added. "How does that make you feel?"

The Duchess of Sussex shared that she felt "really great when specifically, it can help uplift brands that have a great ethos and female founders." She added, "You know, there was a long time where...I wasn't out talking. So if you couldn't hear me, how could I be heard through what I was wearing if that was what people were focusing on?"

Although she's now back on Instagram and has her own Netflix series, With Love, Meghan, and her second podcast, there was a time when fans couldn't hear directly from the Duchess of Sussex. That being said, the mom of two added that she didn't "have to say a word," but her wardrobe "would move product for small companies."

The Duchess of Sussex used the example of the Outland Denim jeans she wore during her 2018 trip to Australia with Prince Harry. The Australian-based company "would take women out of positions of being trafficked and instead give them jobs," the Duchess of Sussex said, explaining, "by wearing those jeans, I knew it was going to allow them to save more women."

And although Meghan didn't mention them by name, she seemed to be referring to handbag brand Strathberry when she mentioned "a small company in Scotland" being able to "hire 50 more employees." When the duchess carried one of the label's designs for her first official public appearance, Strathberry's fortunes dramatically changed.

"We were just a little brand in Scotland,” Leeanne Hundleby, the brand's co-founder told the Times in 2019. “There were people at the door, people on the phone…We had to just hunker down and write a press release. Everyone was talking about us—even teachers at the kids’ schools." After Meghan carried their tote, Strathberry grew "from 11 employees to 50."

"All of those things end up becoming a touch point that's really high value to me," the Duchess of Sussex shared during the Jamie Kern Lima Show. She added that "being able to hear the stories of how it has helped them or their businesses" means a great deal.

"If I can come in with a little sprinkle of fairy dust just by wearing a bracelet or doing something and that changes the course of their business, that's a huge honor to be able to have that kind of impact for someone," Meghan continued.