We are only just starting to see the full pulling power of 'The Meghan Effect' as the future duchess takes part in more and more royal engagements. And, nobody is quite feeling the impact of this more than small denim company, Hiut.
Markle chose a pair of the Welsh-based brand's black jeans for an official visit to Cardiff with Prince Harry in January, and has since caused such a surge in demand that the tiny company is being forced to move to a bigger factory to cope with orders and a three-month waiting list.
'The website went absolutely crazy,' co-founder of the company, David Hieatt told The Daily Mail. 'We have a backorder waiting list for three months. We are having two more people in and we're moving to a new factory. The effect has been remarkable.'
This is not the first small brand that Markle has had this kind of impact on. When she visited Nottingham for her first official royal engagement with her fiancé, she carried a leather handbag by tiny Scottish accessories brand, Strathberry, that sold out in within 11 minutes.
'Meghan mixes high-end designers with more affordable pieces which makes her style more relatable and approachable,' Strathberry founder, Leanne Hundleby told us. 'It is also fantastic that she has been willing to support smaller brands and increase their brand awareness exponentially.'
Her decision to choose lesser-known labels based across the country, rather than sticking to London-based superbrands is of course a great thing for these companies. However, what we can learn from 'the Kate effect' is that this level of attention can sometimes be detrimental to the brands.
The dress Middleton chose to wear for her engagement was by small label Issa, which subsequently could not cope with the demand that followed and was forced to close.
'Issa was a niche brand; we had a loyal following, but in 2008 and 2009 we were in serious financial trouble,' founder Daniella Helayel told Elle UK. 'When Kate wore that dress everything changed'
Hopefully this won't be the case for any of the smaller labels that Markle has championed though.
