Meghan Markle has been on maternity leave since the birth of her son Archie in May, now she’s officially off of maternity leave and launching a clothing line, Smart Works, which will benefit women in her community.
According to The Daily Mail, Thursday afternoon, the Duchess of Sussex made an appearance at the John Lewis store in London to share the collection created by Jigsaw. The press also noted that the new mom was rocking a pair of butterfly earrings that hold immense sentimental value as they once belonged to Prince Harry‘s late mother Princess Diana.
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“Thank you so much for being here today,” she greeted warmly to the crowd on Oxford Street. “It’s very exciting and it looks beautiful and I’m sorry if you were waiting for a bit in this sunshine, though it’s pretty nice weather.”
Proceeds from the line will aid Smart Works, an organization that provides training and interview clothes to unemployed women. Markle seemed delighted when she was informed that a tote bag from the collection had already sold out before she even arrived to the event.
“As women, it is 100 per cent our responsibility, I think, to support and up-lift each other,” explained the 38-year-old. “To champion each other so we aim to succeed, to not set each other up for failure, but instead to really be there rallying round each other and say ‘I want to help you.'”
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Meghan Markle stepped out for her first official outing since welcoming baby Archie to launch a clothing line to benefit her patronage Smart Works, a charity that helps women find employment. 💕 pic.twitter.com/my56AzeRPS
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“‘When I first moved to the UK it was incredibly important to me personally to be able to connect with people on the ground doing really important work and one of the places I went to very early on was Smart Works,” she continued.
She also pointed out that this current initiative is just a taste of the work she Harry plan to do when their Sussex Royal foundation official launches in 2020.
The Duchess is said to have looked relaxed as she showed attendees the capsule collection which very decidedly reflects her her simple but timeless sense of style. While peaking of how she chose the pieces she added, “I thought, this is going to be classics and essentials. What are traditional and quintessential British brands that I’ve become introduced to since I moved here which resonate and I knew resonated with the Smart Works customer?
“And for me that seemed obvious to be M&S and John Lewis which I have worn quite a bit in the past year or two since I have been here.”