According to Newsweek, the effect Kate Middleton has on the UK fashion industry isn’t just a qualitative adjective — she may be worth around £1 billion as well. Since 2011, people have been following websites like What Kate Wore, to browse and buy everything the royal wears and endorses. Most of these have been a mix of high street and designer British brands, like Jenny Packham, Alexander McQueen, and LK Bennett more often than others.
One of the more notable examples is the Reiss dress that Kate wore to meet the Obamas in 2011, which sold at a rate of one dress a minute right after. The founder of Reiss, David Reiss told Marie Claire, “The surge in web traffic following the release of these images [of Kate wearing the brand’s Shola dress] caused our website to crash. The dress promptly sold out online when service was resumed.”
Kate also re-wears pieces from her wardrobe, bringing them back into the public eye while highlighting the importance of sustainability. “I don’t think you could ever foresee the effect she’s had on any brand,” a J Brand Jeans representative told News.com.au. “She’s got this amazing influence none of us could ever predict to market.”
