Meghan Markle is indisputably one of the most watched women in the world, and with that attention comes an often under-acknowledged power.
Though Meghan provokes strong reactions from both fans and critics, her personal style has regularly won her praise from the fashion press.
Whether she's sporting vintage pieces on the sidewalks of New York City or accessible mainstream brands during overseas tours, what Meghan wears regularly makes the news headlines.
Now, Meghan has become engaged in the fashion world as more than just a consumer, but also an investor.
In an interview published last month, it was revealed that the royal injected capital into the artisan handbag brand Cesta Collective and that she is a minority shareholder.
The duchess said that not only is she aware of her international fashion sway, but that she is mindful of using it to spotlight people and brands she loves.
Here Newsweek takes a look at what Meghan said about her fashion influence in her recent interview with the New York Times.
Googling Brands
In her interview, Meghan discussed how she uses her time to research new fashion designers, engaging with brands on a global scale.
"I spend a lot of time just Googling, looking for brands," she said. "When people are online looking for things or reading things, I'm trying to find great new designers, especially in different territories."
Powerful Position
When it comes to the "power" she holds in the fashion world through her visibility as a royal duchess, Meghan said that she uses it to "support" designers she has formed relationships with, or who she feels don't get enough recognition.
The royal noted that the moment where a handbag she wore during an early appearance with Prince Harry sold out "changed everything" about her attitude to dress and "how I then looked at putting an outfit together."
"Times where I know there is a global spotlight, and attention will be given to each 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," she continued. "That's one of the most powerful things that I'm able to do, and that's simply wearing, like, an earring."
Meghan has a regular roster of high fashion designers she champions. When designer Clare Waight Keller was creative director of Givenchy the duchess would regularly wear her haute couture creations at official royal engagements (including, famously, her wedding).
Meghan regularly wears Oscar de la Renta, Carolina Herrera and Johanna Ortiz, but also a number of smaller boutique brands like Heidi Merrick, Strathberry and Sarah Flint.
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
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