The Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markel, who left her acting career and welcome her and Prince Harry’s first child Archie, earlier this year, is crowned as 2019’s most powerful fashion icon.
According to Lyst’s Year in Fashion report, Markel’s muse status is going nowhere anytime soon with a 216% increase in people frantically Googling similar outfits every single time she steps out for a public engagement.
Her choice and love for dress shirts on the Royal Tour of South Africa saw searches for these grow by 45% while her Club Monaco dress sold out in less than 24 hours, with 570% spike in searches about it.
Her J Crew skirt was highly searched and the saw searches from the brand grow by over 100%.
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Just over one week ago, The Duchess of Sussex announced the launch of #TheSmartSet, an initiative to support the women of @SmartWorksCharity. In just eight days, your active support has helped equip the women of Smart Works with enough units from this capsule collection to help for a full year! Though many of the items sold out quickly, most are being restocked so you can continue to play your part. In partnership with @InsideJigsaw, @JohnLewisandPartners, @MarksandSpencer and @MishaNonoo, this project utilises the 1:1 model where for each item purchased, the same item is donated to empower these women as they mobilise into the workforce. There is still one more week, so please continue to spread the word and know that your small contribution is having a BIG impact in helping women in the community! Thank you for your continued support – more updates soon!
A post shared by The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (@sussexroyal) on Sep 21, 2019 at 7:48am PDT
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“On Thursday we convened a meeting of minds – a group of women ranging from a legendary anti-apartheid activist, female parliamentarians, professors, educators and policy makers to discuss the rights of women in South Africa. In the lead up to this tour it weighed heavily on my heart to see the countless violations against women, and I wanted to spend my time on the ground learning about the situation at hand. One of the guests, Sophia Williams-De Bruyn was just 18 years old when in 1956 she led 20,000 women to march on the Union Buildings in Pretoria in protest of apartheid pass laws. She is the last living leader of the march, and today, a symbol of those who fight for fundamental human rights – For her it is simple – she fights for what is right. Issues of gender inequality affect women throughout the world, independent of race, color, creed, or socioeconomic background. In the last week I’ve met with women from all walks of life – religious leaders such as the first female rabbi in Capetown, grassroots leaders in Nyanga at Mbokodo, community activists, parliamentarians, and so many more. In sitting down with these forward thinkers, it was abundantly clear – it is not enough to simply hope for a better future; the only way forward is “hope in action.” I’m eager to spend the next few days in South Africa continuing to learn, listen and absorb the resilience and optimism I’ve felt here.“ -Her Royal Highness, The Duchess of Sussex
A post shared by The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (@sussexroyal) on Sep 28, 2019 at 11:42pm PDT
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Continuing her visit in Johannesburg today, The Duchess of Sussex has visited the charity @actionaid_sa to speak to people working tirelessly to protect young girls in South Africa. The Duchess wanted to use her time here to help her better understand the issue of gender-based violence, and learn more about what was being done to tackle this crisis. @actionaid_sa work with a number of projects specifically helping young women, including the Teddy Bear Clinic, which provides essential support to children and families affected by domestic and sexual abuse, and @sonkegenderjustice, a not-for-profit working across Africa. The Duchess discussed the importance of trying to break a generational cycle and empower young girls, as well as working with boys and young men to raise their awareness so they can be a part of the solution rather than the problem. After the meeting today, The Duchess travelled privately to meet a number of young girls who are being supported by Action Aid and the Teddy Bear Clinic. These girls have come out of situations of abuse and degradation and have found their sense of self, purpose, and confidence in the spirit of sisterhood and community in The Girls Club. The Duchess described them as role models for all. For the privacy and protection of these young women, no photos of this visit will be shared. #RoyalVisitSouthAfrica Photo ©️ SussexRoyal / Getty / PA images
A post shared by The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (@sussexroyal) on Oct 1, 2019 at 8:40am PDT
