Meghan Markle Reaches New Milestone With Fashion Project
Meghan Markle's fashion passion project was launched in September 2019. Rughly two months later, it has been an astounding success.
Markle's "Smart Set" Collection was in partnership with brands like Marks & Spencer, John Lewis, Jigsaw and Misha Nonoo. It has a variety of workwear options that are available for purchase.
For each item purchased, another will be donated to an unemployed woman through the charity, "Smart Works."
What Smart Works do, according to their website, is help support vulnerable and unemployed women through equipping them with the essentials to get back into the workplace.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Smart Works (@smartworkscharity) on Jul 31, 2019 at 10:19am PDT
It was Markle who came up with the idea for the collection after noticing that donations to the organization were not always the right style or size.
"There was a rack of about 40 or 50 lilac-colored blazers. Now don't get me wrong, it's a great blazer. And I'm sure for someone; it's exactly what she wants to be wearing," Markle recalled.
"But for most women, when you're going in there, and you want to have a job interview, and you want to feel your very best, and you want to feel confident, you want to be wearing the pieces of clothing that make you feel that way."
During the launch of her project, the Duchess of Sussex recalled that it was through repeat visits of the organization when she started to ask herself how best she could help.
In an Instagram post by the Duchess, she said that since moving to the U.K., she wanted to meet with communities and organizations doing meaningful work and help make an impact.
Speaking to the British Vogue, Markle said that many of the brands agreed to use the one-for-one model: each item purchased by a customer, one is donated to charity.
"Not only does this allow us to be a part of each other's story, it reminds us we are in it together," Meghan furthered.
Since the launch, more than 10,000 items were already purchased, and Markle recently revealed that 200 people have already been dressed with donations from the collection.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (@sussexroyal) on Nov 13, 2019 at 11:05am PST
In the Sussex Royal's Instagram account, she posted a picture with women and captioning it, "Congratulations to @smartworkscharity who just yesterday dressed their 200th client with items from #TheSmartSet."
The collection included a classic blazer from Jigsaw with matching pair of slim-fit trousers, a John Lewis roomy tote that is perfect for interview essentials, a shift dress from Marks & Spencer which can quickly go from desk to a night out, and a well-crafted classic white shirt.
The Duchess of Sussex's heartfelt message revealed that as a result of the project, women were able to pursue their passion and achieve their goals.
"In convening several companies rather than one, we've demonstrated how we can work collectively to empower each other. Another layer to this communal success story that I am so proud to be part of."
