Meghan Markle's influence on the fashion industry

Less than 48 hours ago Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have announced their decision to give up their senior roles as members of the Royal Family with the intention of becoming financially independent. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have moreover unveiled their plan to balance their time between the United Kingdom and North America, in a very unprecedented and quite surprising move. 

Along with rumours and speculations on the contrasts and fights within the Royal Family and the reactions of their most loyal fans, what remains certain and unmistakable is the mediatic power of the royal couple. Meghan's style, in particular, is what draws the most attention, as reported by the data gathered by Lyst, the leading fashion industry search engine. Last year, in fact, Meghan Markle was appointed most powerful dresser of 2019 by Lyst, thanks to her outfits, which caused a 216% rise in the online researches for similar clothes. A breath of fresh air and a huge influence on the fashion trends close to the one first started by Kate Middleton, but definitely with much bigger results. 
In her first public appearance of the year, in Canada a few days ago, the Duchess of Sussex was wearing a camel coat that caused a rise of 230% in the searches for similar items in just 36 hours, while the researches for the Jimmy Choo Romy pumps saw an increase of 126%. 

Last September, on the occasion of the Royal Tour in South Africa, Meghan Markle wore a printed Club Monaco dress that went sold out in less than 24 hours, followed by a peak of researches of the 570%. After sporting a khaki Staud dress the following day, the researches boosted significantly in the next 48 hours. The black Everlane jumpsuit she wore, later on, registered a rise of 384% in 24 hours in the 'black jumpsuits' category. In 2018, moreover, on the occasion of the Invictus Games, Meghan was spotted wearing a pair of vegan leather sneakers, the Veja V10, and as a consequence, the request for the brand saw a rise of 300% in the next month. Meghan has been making waves with her style since her first official public appearance, next to her sister-in-law Kate Middleton, when she was wearing a Sentaler camel coat that caused a rise of 164% on the online researches for camel coats in just 24 hours. 

Meghan Markle has now affirmed herself as one of the most influential figures of the fashion industry, without technically being part of it. It's not just her Cinderella story that has conquered the crowds but above all her stylistic choices, always balancing luxury fashion houses and more affordable brands, with special attention for emerging designers and topics like sustainability. We'll have to wait to see what kind of consequences her latest decision will have if she will remain a model for women around the world, even far from the spotlight, or if she will give up her role as an influencer as well.