Meghan Markle is adding to her investment portfolio, she announced in a new interview released on Aug. 28. Speaking to the New York Times, the Duchess of Sussex told the outlet that the small portfolio of female-run companies she supports has just gained a new addition — the handbag brand Cesta Collective, which Meghan, 43, found organically while shopping online.
“I spend a lot of time just Googling, looking for brands,” said Meghan, who began investing money in companies led by women back in 2020. “When people are online looking for things or reading things, I’m trying to find great new designers, especially in different territories.”
Cesta Collective specializes in basket bags handwoven by a collective of women in Rwanda; they are later finished in Italy. Meghan wore a Cesta bag to a dinner date with her husband Prince Harry, 39, in May 2023 alongside celebrities including Gwyneth Paltrow, Cameron Diaz and both of their husbands. After Meghan was seen carrying the handbag, Cesta co-founder Erin Ryder told the New York Times that the company “had more sales in one day than we’ve ever had,” she said.
Just as Meghan found the brand organically, her decision to invest came about organically, as well. Ryder and her co-founder Courtney Weinblatt Fasciano wrote Meghan a thank you note, and eventually Meghan offered to become their first outside investor. (The exact terms of the deal are confidential, but Ryder and Fasciano confirmed to the New York Times that it was a minority stake.)
This isn’t the first time Meghan carrying a handbag has done gangbusters for business. The Duchess of Sussex told the New York Times that she realized how much attention went to her sartorial choices in 2017, not long after she became engaged to Prince Harry. After Meghan carried a Strathberry bag to her first royal engagement on Dec. 1, 2017, the bag sold out 11 minutes after Meghan was seen carrying it.
When Meghan learned the impact of her fashion choice that day and how it allowed the Scottish company to expand its workforce, it “changed everything in terms of how I then looked at putting an outfit together,” Meghan said. “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.”
She added, “That’s one of the most powerful things that I’m able to do, and that’s simply wearing, like, an earring.” Speaking to PEOPLE at the time, Strathberry spokesperson Leeanne Hundleby said, after Meghan’s appearance carrying the bag, “The phones began ringing constantly, and our visitor numbers on our website were up by around 5000%!” From there, over 3,000 people signed up to be notified when the specific bag Meghan carried came back in stock.
Meghan’s decision to invest began with the vegan instant latte company Clevr Blends, which she began backing during the pandemic. Her portfolio has expanded to between five to 10 brands, she said, and said she sees them as a complement to her own forthcoming lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard. “Investing in them has helped me line up for this chapter where I’m investing in myself,” Meghan said.
