Meghan Markle is in an era of investment, both in others and in herself.
In a new interview with The New York Times published on Aug. 28, the Duchess of Sussex, 43, revealed that she invested in the female-founded, sustainably sourced handbag brand Cesta Collective — and spoke about how she is investing in herself, as well.
Meghan referenced how the global interest in her style following her engagement to Prince Harry in 2017 “changed everything” about her approach to fashion and later led her to invest in brands she believes in.
“Investing in them has helped me line up for this chapter where I’m investing in myself,” the Duchess of Sussex said.
According to the outlet, Meghan views her investment initiatives as a “dolphin tank,” not a “Shark Tank,” seemingly referring to the hit business pitch show on ABC.
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As opposed to the typical cutthroat nature of business, when it comes to Meghan’s investments, “These are friendly waters,” she told The New York Times.
Meghan mentioned that there are between five and 10 brands currently in her portfolio, and said she sees them as complementary to her forthcoming lifestyle brand American Riviera Orchard. The Duchess of Sussex unveiled a web presence for the venture in March and has filed paperwork to pursue trademarks for exclusive rights to sell tableware, home décor, cosmetics, cookbooks, jarred food products, yoga gear, pet accessories and much more. Friends including Nacho Figueras and Tracy Robbins have since posted photos of what appears to be American Riviera Orchard’s first product: jam.
A source previously told PEOPLE that Meghan’s American Riviera Orchard “will reflect everything that she loves — family, cooking, entertaining and home décor” and was “something she’s been wanting to do for a while.”
And Meghan is no stranger to the lifestyle space — before she began dating and later married Prince Harry, Meghan highlighted similar content on her lifestyle blog The Tig, which she affectionately referred to as her “passion project.”
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Speaking in the Aug. 28 interview about how she got the inspiration to begin investing, whether monetarily or by simply wearing articles of clothing to promote brand awareness, Meghan referenced how the Strathberry bag she carried at her very first royal outing with Prince Harry in 2017 sold out within minutes and helped the Scottish brand expand its staff.
The Duchess of Sussex said this “changed everything in terms of how I then looked at putting an outfit together” and inspired her to use fashion as a force for good.
“Times where I know there is a global spotlight, and attention will be given to each detail of what I may or may not be wearing, then I support designers that I have really great friendships with, and smaller, up-and-coming brands that haven’t gotten the attention that they should be getting,” Meghan said. “That’s one of the most powerful things that I’m able to do, and that’s simply wearing, like, an earring.”
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The Duchess of Sussex became the first outside investor for Cesta Collective this summer, backing the brand whose basket bags are handmade by female artisans in Rwanda and then finished in Italy. Founders Erin Ryder and Courtney Weinblatt Fasciano told The New York Times that Meghan is a minority stakeholder, and her involvement has sparked hope of growing their business, expanding operations across categories and hiring more female artisans in developing countries.
After Meghan carried a Cesta bag to a dinner with Gwyneth Paltrow, Cameron Diaz and their husbands in 2023, Ryder said the brand had “more sales in one day than we’ve ever had.”
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The Duchess of Sussex’s first investment was in the instant latte company Clevr Blends in 2020, and she opened up about finding possible partners in a relatable way: by browsing online.
“I spend a lot of time just Googling, looking for brands,” Meghan said. “When people are online looking for things or reading things, I’m trying to find great new designers, especially in different territories.”
Putting her words into action, she recently highlighted several Colombian designers during her trip to the country with Prince Harry from Aug. 15 to Aug. 18.
