Meghan Markle is to launch her own workwear clothing line sold in John Lewis and M&S in aid of charity
MEGHAN Markle has teamed up with leading British retailers to create a capsule collection of women's clothing.
The Duchess of Sussex explained she has asked John Lewis, Marks & Spencer and Jigsaw to create a fashion line which will benefit one of Meghan's patronages, Smart Works.
The charity helps woman get back into the workplace by providing them with clothes, confidence and the coaching they need to succeed at a job interview.
Writing in the September issue of Vogue - which 37-year-old Meghan guest edited - the new mum explained: "When you walk into a Smart Works space you’re met with racks of clothing and an array of bags and shoes. Sometimes, however, it can be a potpourri of mismatched sizes and colours, not always the right stylistic choices or range of sizes.
"To help with this, I asked Marks & Spencer, John Lewis & Partners, Jigsaw and my friend, the designer Misha Nonoo, if they were willing to design a capsule collection of more classic options for a workwear wardrobe.
"Taking the idea further, many of the brands agreed to use the one-for-one model: for each item purchased by a customer, one is donated to the charity. Not only does this allow us to be part of each other’s story, it reminds us we are in it together."
Smart Works helps over 2,000 women every year across two offices in London, with over one in two clients succeeding at their job interview.
Upon booking, each client is given a two-hour appointment where they receive one complete outfit for their interview which they can keep, free of charge, before taking part in a one-to-one interview coaching session.
The clothes are a mix of new and slightly worn pieces and if the client is successful in any interview, they are able to return to Smart Works for another appointment where they will receive more items of clothing to help build a working wardrobe.
And it's not the first time the duchess had released her own clothing line, with Meghan having teamed up with retailer Reitmans during her time on Suits.
It's believed the collection will be available later this year, but further details have not yet been confirmed.
In other royal news, we told you Meghan was branded "cheap, vulgar and irresponsible" by outspoken Lady Colin Campbell, who says "she was never an A-lister so needs to stop acting like one".
We also revealed royal fans have accused Prince Harry of having a "dig" at brother William after saying he’ll only have "two children maximum" in his planet-saving Vogue chat.
And we showed you a behind-the-scenes video of Meghan guest-editing Vogue’s September issue.