MEGA MOVES
Meghan Markle reveals ‘powerful’ new career venture & is ‘investing in herself’ ahead of American Riviera Orchard launch
Watch the video to see why American Riviera Orchard is having difficulty launching
The Duchess of Sussex has revealed she's 'investing in herself' as she starts new career venture in fashion.
Meghan Markle revealed her new career was inspired by her time as a working royal alongside Prince Harry.
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It has recently been revealed that the 43-year-old has invested in a female-run handbag company called Cesta Collective, which specialises in hand-woven bags.
In a rare interview with The New York Times the mum-of-two announced that she discovered the brand while online shopping.
The company works with a group of women in Rwanda that are handwoven before being flown to Italy to be finished off.
Each bag cost hundreds of pounds to buy and uses locally sourced, renewable resources to make, while the women are paid 500-700% times the national average salary of Rwanda.
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Meghan herself has been spotted wearing the bags while heading to a sushi restaurant with her husband, opting for the Cesta Bucket Bag in cream which features woven fabric at the bottom and costs £535.
After she was spotted wearing the bag, the founders of Cesta Collective sent Meghan a thank you note and it was then that the Duchess offered to make an investment.
In an interview with the about the new career move, Meghan refused to say how much she had invested, although the brand owners confirmed it was a minority stake.
Meghan, who spoke to the publication after returning from her Colombia tour, said she realised her 'power' when it came to promoting brand is 2017, just before she and Harry wed.
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On her first ever royal engagement in Nottingham she wore a bag by the British brand Strathberry, which sold out quickly and gave the company huge exposure.
Meghan added: "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.
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"That's one of the most powerful things that I’m able to do, and that’s simply wearing, like, an earring."
But it's not the first time she's invested in brands.
Back in December 2020, the Duchess of Sussex invested an undisclosed sum in ethical wellness brand Clevr Blends, which sells a range of lattes in powder form.
The move marked her first public investment since she and Prince Harry sensationally left the Royal Family in January of that year to seek "financial independence".
Meghan's Business Struggles
Meghan Markle left the Royal Family alongside Prince Harry in January 2020 to become financially independent. But the couple have faced business struggles ever since.
Spotify Podcast Issues: Meghan and Harry signed a multi-million dollar deal with Spotify to produce content, but there were reports of delays and difficulties in delivering content. The production of their podcast, "Archewell Audio," has faced criticism for its slow rollout and limited output.
Netflix Content Production: The couple also signed a lucrative deal with Netflix to produce documentaries, docu-series, feature films, and children’s programming. However, there have been reports of creative differences and challenges in getting projects off the ground. Some announced projects have been delayed or cancelled, such as the animated series "Pearl," which Netflix decided not to move forward with.
American Riviera Orchard: Meghan launched the brand in a surprise Instagram post showing her in her LA mansion kitchen. Several months on the company has still failed to launch their products to the public.
The new investment also comes just months after Meghan launched her own lifestyle brand American Riviera Orchard.
Meghan announced her new business venture with an Instagram teaser video, showing the duchess cooking and arranging white hydrangeas and roses and now has a brand new website and Instagram page to showcase it.
Weeks after the launch, several of Meghan's pals and influencers, including her Suits co-star Abigail Spencer, Kris Jenner and model Chrissy Teigen, all posted on social media after receiving jars of American Riviera Orchard's first batch of jam.
Fast forward several months later and the brand is yet to launch publicly, with rumours that 18 staff members have quit working for the pair.
Josh Kettler has left his role as Prince Harry’s chief-of-staff after only three months - just days before their faux-royal tour to Colombia.
Veteran PR supremo Kettler had reportedly been brought in to "guide Harry through his next phase".
But the staff member stepped down after three months in the role in what Team Sussex insisted was a “mutual decision.”
However, according to Closer source, the latest staffing change has been a “humiliating and demoralising blow” for Prince Harry, 39, and Meghan, 43.
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The source claimed: “Of course they’ve tried damage limitation but, behind closed doors it’s utterly humiliating and demoralising.
“Meghan’s secretly feeling quite abandoned after this keeps happening.”
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