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During her April 28 appearance on The Jamie Kern Lima Show, Meghan Markle confirmed the theory that she used her clothes to send a message
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According to the Duchess of Sussex, she found that she could use fashion to support causes close to her even when she wasn’t taking part in speaking engagements
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Meghan added that she is well-aware of the “Meghan Effect” and tries to focus on small, women-focused brands when choosing clothes for outings
Meghan Markle has confirmed she used her clothing to send messages while she was still a working member of the British monarchy.
The Duchess of Sussex, 43, appeared on the Monday, April 28 episode of The Jamie Kern Lima Show podcast, where she revealed that she is aware of the “Meghan Effect” — a term coined by the fashion industry to describe items that see an increase in sales after she is spotted wearing them.
“There’s this thing known as the ‘Meghan Effect,’ ” Lima, co-founder of It Cosmetics, said to Meghan. “How does that make you feel?”
The Duchess of Sussex explained that she made a concentrated effort to wear clothing from smaller businesses, particularly when the brand had a cause that was close to her heart. She said it felt “really great when, specifically, it can help uplift brands that have a great ethos and female founders.”
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Meghan, Duchess of Sussex at The Paley Gala Honoring Tyler Perry on December 4, 2024.
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She continued, “You know, there was a long time where… I wasn’t out talking. So if you couldn’t hear me, how could I be heard through what I was wearing if that was what people were focusing on?”
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Meghan reflected on her influence in the fashion world, and said that she didn’t need to “say a word” about the brands that she wore, because being seen out in public with the clothing items she chose would “move product for small companies.”
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Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attends the wheelchair basketball during day one of the 2025 Invictus Games.
Lima had the numbers to support the Duchess of Sussex’s claims, noting that the Valencia Key gold bracelet ($125) that Meghan was spotted in both at the 2025 Invictus Games and in her As Ever brand announcement “had an 11,000 percent increase in sales” and “everything sold out.”
She also talked about wearing Outland Denim black skinny jeans during a 2018 Australia trip with her husband Prince Harry. She explained that wearing an item from the brand was important to her because they hire survivors of human trafficking. The company is also environmentally friendly and has a B Corporation certification.
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Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, attends the 2025 TIME100 Summit on April 23, 2025.
Related: Meghan Markle Goes Makeup-Free in Sweats and Sneakers for Her First-Ever Podcast Interview
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Meghan added that wearing the brand “would take women out of positions of being trafficked and instead give them jobs … by wearing those jeans, I knew it was going to allow them to save more women.”
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