UK's Duchess Meghan returns to work to launch new charity fashion range

Thomson Reuters

LONDON, Sept 12 (Reuters) - Britain's Duchess Meghan returned to work on Thursday for the first time following the birth of her first child with husband Prince Harry to launch a new fashion range whose sales will help a charity supporting unemployed women.

View this post on Instagram

Last month, The Duchess of Sussex surprised Smart Works clients during the capsule collection shoot in west London...Today, The Duchess, alongside @SmartWorksCharity - in partnership with @InsideJigsaw, @JohnLewisandPartners, @MarksandSpencer and @MishaNonoo - are incredibly proud to reveal to everyone, #TheSmartSet - a five piece capsule collection that will equip the Smart Works clients with the classic wardrobe pieces to help them feel confident as they mobilise back into the work space. • “Since moving to the UK, it has been deeply important to me to meet with communities and organisations on the ground doing meaningful work and to try to do whatever I can to help them amplify their impact. It was just last September that we launched the ‘Together’ cookbook with the women of the Hubb Kitchen in Grenfell. Today, a year later, I am excited to celebrate the launch of another initiative of women supporting women, and communities working together for the greater good. Thank you to the four brands who came together in supporting Smart Works on this special project - placing purpose over profit and community over competition. In convening several companies rather than one, we’ve demonstrated how we can work collectively to empower each other - another layer to this communal success story, that I am so proud to be a part of” - The Duchess of Sussex The collection – which features a shirt, trousers, blazer, dress and tote bag – will be on sale for two weeks starting today, with the objective of selling enough units to give Smart Works the essentials they need to help dress clients for the coming year! For every item bought during the sale of the collection, one will be donated to Smart Works, this 1:1 model allows customers to directly support the Smart Works women by playing a part in their success story - how they look and more importantly, how they feel. Photo © @JennyZarins

A post shared by The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (@sussexroyal) on Sep 12, 2019 at 5:08am PDT

Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, has made a handful of public appearances since son Archie was born in May but the launch of the fashion collection, created in collaboration with well-known British stores and fashion designers, marks her first official engagement.

The sale of the "Smart Set Capsule Collection" will last for at least two weeks and is designed to help Smart Works, a charity that provides quality clothes and training for unemployed women for job interviews.

For every item bought, one will be donated to the charity which Meghan became the patron of earlier this year.

The items include a blazer and trousers from fashion chain Jigsaw; a tote bag from department store John Lewis; a classic dress from Marks & Spencer and a white shirt from fashion designer Misha Nonoo, a friend of the U.S.-born Duchess.

"Since moving to the UK, it has been deeply important to me to meet with communities and organizations on the ground doing meaningful work and to try to do whatever I can to help them amplify their impact," Meghan, 38, said in a statement.

"Thank you to the four brands who came together in supporting Smart Works on this special project - placing purpose over profit and community over competition." (Reporting by Michael Holden; editing by Stephen Addison)

Advertisement