The handbag brand in which Meghan Markle was recently revealed to be a minority stakeholder has been criticized online over insensitive campaign imagery and a potentially problematic company ethos.
Last month, Meghan was named as an investor in Cesta Collective, an American handbag brand that utilizes baskets woven by craftswomen in Rwanda. They are then adapted in Italy and retail between $490 and $890.
The brand, co-founded by fashion industrialists Erin Ryder and Courtney Fasciano, says it is "dedicated to collaborating with talented female artisans" and holds "unwavering ethical standards and fair compensation practices."
"Cesta baskets," they say on their website "are handwoven of locally sourced, renewable resources, by talented female artisans in Rwanda, Africa — whom we are proud to pay 500-700% times the national average salary of Rwanda."
In a 2018 interview for Vogue, Fasciano discussed how Cesta sources its baskets and how it faces production challenges as each piece is handmade. "For us, it's pretty simple," she said. "These are baskets that are part of the national heritage of Rwanda, and most women know how to make it, so any time we get a big order, we call Africa and we hire another village."
Now, the company has faced backlash online with one social media influencer accusing them of "cynically" using their fair-wage ethos and Rwandan artisans "to make shopaholic Western women feel better for purchasing yet another handbag that they don't need."
Fashion and beauty TikTok influencer georgiejxmes posted a lengthy criticism of Cesta Collective to her 100,000 followers on August 31, shortly after a New York Times article named Meghan as its first outside investor.
"I thought that we had collectively decided that western women using African women as props to enhance their own image was inappropriate, but apparently we haven't," they said in the video, which has received over 11,000 likes on the social media site so far.
A key issue, in addition to the brand's promotion of fair-wage ethics without transparency on how much artisans receive for their work, according to the poster, was a photograph supplied to the New York Times, appearing to show its two co-founders seated on a bench surrounded by the Rwandan craftswomen who were on the floor.
"Images matter," she said. "Here we have two western women sitting on a bench, the Rwandan women gaze up at them. It's inappropriate to use these women as a marketing tactic for your brand, especially when they're not full-time employees nor do they have any ownership of your brand."
"This isn't a charity. You're not saving these women," she concluded. "You're doing what you're supposed to do, which is pay them a living wage so that they can support their families."
"These women should not be used cynically to make shopaholic Western women feel better for purchasing yet another handbag that they don't need. That's what we call poverty porn. It's barely okay when charities do it. Completely inappropriate when for-profit businesses do it. Cut it out."
Newsweek approached representatives for Cesta Collective and Meghan Markle via email for comment.
On September 3, Cesta Collective posted a statement to their Instagram stories, reaffirming their dedication to its craftswomen and ethical practice.
"A note from our founders," it said.
"We are dedicated to collaborating with talented female artisans who are experts in their craft.
"We are meticulous with every detail involved in making our products - from our craftsmanship and thoughtful material selection, to our unwavering ethical standards and fair compensation practices. Thank you for joining us on this journey - we're so glad you're here! Erin & Courtney."
The brand has seen a significant boost in visibility since the announcement of Meghan's involvement as an investor, though she has been wearing their pieces publicly since 2023.
The duchess wore Cesta handbags during the Invictus Games in Germany and a private dinner—both in 2023—and most recently she debuted the brand's $750 cross-body "Panna" bag during her tour of Colombia last month.
In addition to Meghan, Cesta has won high-fashion fans in the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow, Dianna Agron and Claire Foy.
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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