Recently, an interview with Meghan Markle in the New York Times has raised quite a lot of interest.
The Duchess of Sussex talked about a hitherto lesser-known aspect of her life: her career as an entrepreneur.
At 43, Meghan shared that she is expanding her investments, mostly related to fashion brands.
In the interview, she mentioned that her portfolio of women-led businesses has grown, including the recent addition of Cesta Collective, a handbag brand she discovered online.
Cesta Collective specializes in basket bags hand-woven by a group of women in Rwanda, which are then finished in Italy.
Meghan wore one of these bags to a dinner party alongside the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow and Cameron Diaz.
After Meghan was spotted with the bag, the brand’s co-founder, Erin Ryder, commented that the company achieved more sales that day than ever before.
How many brands has Meghan Markle invested in?
The Duchess of Sussex revealed that she researches brands by browsing the internet.
“I spend a lot of time just Googling, looking for brands,” said Meghan, who began investing money in companies led by women back in 2020. “When people are online looking for things or reading things, I’m trying to find great new designers, especially in different territories.”
This is not the first time Meghan has made an impact on the fashion world. She recalled that after her first royal engagement in December 2017, a Strathberry brand handbag sold out in just 11 minutes after being spotted with it.
This experience taught her to leave nothing to chance in her outfit choices.
“Times where I know there is a global spotlight, and attention will be given to every detail of what I may or may not be wearing, then I support designers that I have really great friendships with, and smaller, up-and-coming brands that haven’t gotten the attention that they should be getting,” Meghan told the New York Times.
She also added that her influence using a simple piece of jewelry can be very powerful.
In addition to Cesta Collective, Meghan has backed other businesses, such as Clevr Blends, a vegan coffee company that she began supporting during the pandemic.
Her investment portfolio has grown to include five to ten brands, which she sees as complementary to her future lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard.
“Investing in them has helped me line up for this chapter where I’m investing in myself,” the Duchess of Sussex said.
According to the outlet, Meghan views her investment initiatives as a “dolphin tank,” not a “Shark Tank.”