Meghan Markle invests in bag brand Sesta Collective after sales surge
Meghan Markle is taking her love of fashion to a whole new level.
In a New York Times interview published Wednesday, the Duchess of Sussex, 43, revealed she recently invested in Sesta Collective, a mission-based handbag brand that she has worn several times over the past few years.
“I spend a lot of time on Google looking for brands,” she said.
“When people are searching or reading things online, I’m trying to find great new designers, especially in different fields.”
Sesta Collective’s signature basket bags are handwoven by Rwandan women — “whom we’re proud to pay 500-700% times the national average wage,” as the brand states on its website — and then crafted in Italy.
Markle first wore the company’s drawstring bucket bag ($790) during a dinner date at a sushi bar in Santa Barbara with husband Prince Harry and friends Gwyneth Paltrow and Cameron Diaz in May 2023. The style sold out immediately.
“We sold more in one day than we’ve ever sold before,” Erin Ryder, co-founder of Sesta Collective, told the Times. She and her partner, Courtney Weinblatt Fasciano, approached the royal family to thank them for their support, and this year Markle became the brand’s first outside investor.
Markle talked about her fashion influences in the interview, recalling how when she took the Strathberry Midi Tote ($845) to a public event in 2017, it also went out of stock (in just 11 minutes, no less).
“That moment completely changed the way I looked at dressing,” she said.
“At a time when I know I’m being talked about on a global scale, and every detail of what I wear or don’t wear will be looked at, I support designers that I’m really good friends with, and smaller, emerging brands that don’t get the attention they should. That’s one of the most powerful things I’m able to do, and that’s just wearing an earring.”
The “Archetypes” podcast host has also been spotted carrying Sesta Collective’s braided canvas tote ($750) and crossbody ($750), the latter at the 2023 Invictus Games.
She matched the brand’s brown suede briefs ($490) with her Max Mara wrap coat in February, and also packed a beige version of the crossbody ($750) for her and Price Harry’s recent trip to Colombia, styling it with two different outfits.
Investing is nothing new for Markle.
Markle’s growing portfolio includes 10 different companies, including vegan instant latte brand Clever Blends, the Times reported.
“Investing in them has helped prepare me for this chapter where I’m investing in myself,” she said, referring to her new business, American Riviera Orchards.
