(L-R) Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle.Photo: Karwai Tang/Getty Images
Meghan Markle‘s newSmart Works capsule collectionshares a surprising connection to her sister-in-law, Kate Middleton.
On Thursday, the Duchess of Sussex stepped out in London for herfirst official post-maternity leave outingto celebrate the launch of her capsule collection. The line benefitsher patronage Smart Works, a charity that helps women find employment with coaching tips and professional attire for their job interviews.
The collection features several business-inspired items sold at retailers includingJohn Lewis & Partners,Marks & SpencerandJigsaw— the latter of which is the British shop where the Duchess of Cambridge worked when she was datingPrince William.
Kate worked as an accessories buyer for the clothing brand in 2006. She landed the job after she personally contacted Belle Robinson, the brand’s founder and a family friend. She reportedly spent a few days a week in their London office, where she acted just like any other employee.
“She sat in the kitchen at lunchtime and chatted with everyone from the van drivers to the account girls. She wasn’t precious,” Robinson told theEvening Standardin 2008.
Kate quit her job at Jigsaw in 2006, saying she needed “some time to herself.” She went on to work for her family’s company, Party Pieces. A few years later, on Nov. 16, 2010, Clarence House announced William and Kate’s engagement and the pair were married the following year.
Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle at Wimbledon 2018.Karwai Tang/WireImage
Meghan Markle wears Jigsaw trousers and a Misha Nonoo button-up from her charity capsule collection for Smart Works.
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In biographer Marcia Moody’s 2013 book,Kate: A Biography, the author talks about how the royal mom was also involved in some of Jigsaw’s design aspects.
Aspatron for the Smart Works Charity, Meghan explained during her launch event on Thursday that for every item bought during the two-week online and in-store sale of her capsule collection, one will be donated to Smart Works — allowing customers to help empower and support other women and play a part in their success story.
“When I first moved to the U.K. it was incredibly important to me personally to be able to connect with people on the ground who were doing really important work. One of the places that I went to really early on was Smart Works,” Meghan said.”
“To be able to have one small project that has such big impact is something I’m really connected to,” she added. “This is the kind of work that I’ve been doing for a really long time and to be able to do it here in my new home of the U.K. means quite a bit to me. It’s also the same vein of work that my husband and I will continue doing, really strong community-based projects. And this is something we’ll be excited to share more about next year when we launch our foundation, Sussex Royal, in 2020.”
The Smart Works collection includes key essentials women need as they attend interviews and enter into the workplace — including an elegant blazer and well-cut trousers fromJigsaw, a tote bag which fits all the essentials needed for an interview fromJohn Lewis & Partners, a classic dress (for just $32!), flattering to all sizes fromMarks & Spencer, and the perfect crisp white shirt for $125 from the womenswear designer who pioneered ‘the capsule wardrobe’, Misha Nonoo.
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Meghan purchased all five items of the collection herself and is expected to wear some of them on her upcoming royal tour in Africa withPrince Harryand their son Archie.
“When you walk into a Smart Works space you’re met with racks of clothing and an array of bags and shoes,” Meghan wrote in the September issue ofBritishVoguewhere she first revealed her partnership with designer friend Misha Nonoo and others to create the women’s workwear capsule collection. “Sometimes, however, it can be a potpourri of mismatched sizes and colors, not always the right stylistic choices or range of sizes.”
In a statement to PEOPLE, Nonoo said, “Creating this capsule collection alongside The Duchess of Sussex, Smart Works, John Lewis & Partners, M&S and Jigsaw, has been an incredible experience. Empowering women has always been my goal as a designer and I was thrilled our brand could support so many women’s professional pursuits in this special partnership.”
source: people.com
