The Princess Charlotte effect: The young royal is worth $4.5 billion
It's official -- Princess Charlotte's selling power might one day rival that of her mother. The 'Kate Middleton Effect" has been a boost for the British economy -- and truly any brand that she wears -- ever since she stepped into the spotlight years ago, and Prince George has since had a similar effect on sales. Now, the little Princess is predicted to be worth a $4.5 billion boost to the British economy across her lifetime (smashing her older brother's economic boost of $3.4 billion).
Related: Princess Charlotte makes her Buckingham Palace balcony debut
George's monetary figure is nothing to scoff at, and certainly at no fault of his own. Boys fashion is just not as big of an industry as girls' and women's, and Charlotte's impact will touch more types of industries than George's will. (Think hair, beauty, accessories...) And hey, he gets the British throne, Charlotte can have the sartorial throne!
Every single adorable picture of Princess Charlotte:
Though the little princess has only been seen in a few outfits since her birth -- in very carefully orchestrated and choreographed photos released by the royal family -- the few brands she's worn have already felt her influence.
When William and Kate stepped out of the hospital holding their new bundle of joy, GH Hurt & Sons saw the cream shawl Charlotte was wrapped in start to "fly off the shelves" -- as in, they noted over 100,000 visits to their website in just a few days. The volume wasn't the issue, the founder's great-granddaughter Gillian Taylor told WWD, they've worked with big retailers like Harrods and Neiman Marcus in the past, but "the challenge was sending out so many individual shawl orders, all within a few weeks."
When Kate and William whisked their two little ones off for a ski trip to the French Alps, they released a few photos of the family of four and everyone went crazy over Charlotte's cute snow boots. Emu Australia, the maker of the pink baby bootie saw a 67% increase of traffic to their UK website, and my1styears.com says they have seen a 550% uplift on the similar pink snow boot they sell.
She's not wearing lipstick yet (obviously!) but Charlotte also has one of those in her name. Marc Jacobs named a berry pink shade of his Le Marc Lip Crème after the princess and it's sold exclusively at Harrods. He names each shade after a woman who inspires him, so it's only natural that Charlotte makes that list.
It's clear that as time continues to pass and Charlotte is seen in even more adorable outfits, her influence over the pieces parents are choosing for their children will continue. And someday she's bound to be a fashionista just like mum, Kate.
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