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All eyes have been on the Duchess of Sussex's wardrobe since she first announced her engagement to Prince Harry. And, as well as often promoting smaller labels, Meghan has used her time in the spotlight to draw attention to brands with a conscience and to promote sustainability in fashion.
From choosing Stella McCartney for her wedding day to wearing lesser-known sustainable brands including Hiut Denim and Maggie Marilyn, Meghan clearly cares about fashion's footprint. Here we round up all the sustainable brands she has been seen in so far.
Bar Jewellery
The Duchess of Sussex wore an elegant gold bracelet from the sustainable London based jeweller, Bar Jewellery, during a royal visit to Birkenhead. The piece is hand crafted in London and is made entirely of recycled materials.
Bar Jewellery was founded back in 2016 by Sophie Mckay. She previously spent the past eight years working as a runway designer and consultant for luxury brands like Tom Ford, Versace and Burberry. With Bar, she aims to encourage a positive change in the industry and to inspire consumers to make more conscious purchases. Meghan is clearly a fan and Mckay also met the Queen during her visit to London Fashion Week last year, so Bar is known amongst the royals. Find out more about the label here.
Maggie Marilyn
The Duchess of Sussex wore a white tuxedo dress by Maggie Marilyn during the royal tour of New Zealand, which she had altered to remove the sleeves. She paired the frock with some simple blue suede court shoes by Manolo Blahnik.
The designer, who hails from New Zealand, aims to create collections that are not just beautiful, but also ethical and sustainable. Maggie Marilyn uses local manufacturers, promises to pay workers a fair living wage and pays attention to the impact that making luxury fashion can have on the environment.
Although the brand is only two years old, it has already made its mark across the globe and is sure to go from strength to strength after being worn by Meghan.
Gabriela Hearst
Meghan has worn New York-based label Gabriela Hearst on two occasions since becoming a duchess. The first saw her carry the brand's Demi tote during a visit to Chichester. She then chose the designer for a reception at Government House in Wellington, wearing a chic black ankle-length gown.
Gabriela Hearst uses materials from Italian and French family businesses that have dedicated their lives to their products.
The designer once revealed in an interview with The Cut how passionate she is about the world and finding alternatives to plastics: "I believe in sustainable practices, but it’s extremely daunting, You become obsessed with it. For example, getting coffee in the morning, and seeing the lid, I was like, 'Oh, shit. This will take 500 years to biodegrade.' So it’s like, 'Okay, no lid. I’m just going to get the cup.' It’s really about paying attention."
Reformation
The Duchess of Sussex arrived at Kingfisher Bay Resort on Fraser Island to meet with members of the public. For the occasion, Meghan wore a striped dress by sustainable US label Reformation, which she paired with strappy flat sandals and chic sunglasses.
Cult US label Reformation finds the perfect balance between celebrating femininity through fashion and caring for the environment. The brand aims to create exactly what you want to wear now, but without it being detrimental to the planet.
With most fashion brands, designing clothes anywhere from 12-18 months before it's released, Reformation can go from sketch to dress in about a month. They only use sustainable materials rescued from deadstock fabrics and repurposed vintage clothing. The brand recognises that fashion is the third most polluting industry in the world, so they keep sustainability at the heart of what they do.
Veja
The duchess swapped her usual high heels for comfort as she boarded a boat to watch a sailing event during the Invictus Games. She chose a pair of Veja trainers, which have become something of a hit with influencers.
Since 2005, Veja has been making classic trainers with a difference. They offer environmentally friendly shoes made with raw materials, which have been sourced from organic farming and ecological agriculture, without using any chemicals or polluting processes.
Rothy's
Meghan showed her love for sustainable fashion once again during the royal tour around Australia with Harry, by wearing a pair of recycled pumps from Rothy's during a beach clean-up.
The brand not only makes its products thinking about the environment, they also use their social media channels to help their customers become greener too. Each month, the shoe label shares a tip on how we can work together to help the planet and live more sustainably, not just in fashion, but in all parts of our everyday lives.
Theory
At the start of this year, Meghan inspired our workwear wardrobes with an off-the-shoulder checked blazer from Theory. She wore it during a visit to Cardiff Castle with her then fiancé, Prince Harry and styled the statement piece with a pair of black jeans.
Theory uses renewable materials to bring their customers the most modern, luxurious and sustainable clothing they can. For example, the label has a dedicated Good Wool collection which is made from premium traceable Australian merino wool that is woven by pioneers of renewable manufacturing in Italy.
Stella McCartney
It is no secret that the duchess is a big fan of Stella McCartney, a designer known for her commitment to sustainability. Meghan has worn the label on multiple occasions, including this navy cape dress for the Queen's 92nd birthday celebrations. She also chose the designer to make her evening wedding gown and has been seen in the brand a number of times since getting married, including on the royal tour, where she was seen in a pair of Stella McCartney Stan Smiths.
Stella McCartney has always prided herself on being an eco-designer since she started her career – and is known to be one of the most innovative brands in terms of using sustainable processes and materials to respect our earth. From recycled plastics to faux fur, McCartney leads the way when it comes to eco-fashion.
Hiut Denim
Hiut Denim was one of many smaller brands to feel the power of 'The Meghan Effect', after she wore a pair of black jeans from the Welsh-based brand for an official visit to Cardiff with Prince Harry in January.
Dsvid Hieatt, co-founder of the company, 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.”
Hiut Denim focuses on quality over quantity. They make roughly 100 pairs per week by hand in their factory in the small town of Cardigan in Wales.
The brand embraces their roots, as the town used to make 35,000 pairs a week, for three decades. Now, the company has bought new life to the town with their company and brings sustainability to the denim industry as each pair is made by hand, rather than in a huge polluting factory like many fast-fashion brands do.
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