Beloved British royal, Prince Harry, now the Duke of Sussex, just got married to American actor Meghan Markle of television series ‘Suits’. What does this mean for the global economy and does it have any impact beyond the trending paparazzi pictures?
From inspiring enormously popular TV series like ‘The Crown’ or ‘The Royals’, to being aspirational classic style icons, the royal household clearly sustains its global fancy and symbolism as a romanticised emblem of British grandeur.
The size of this ‘family’ has also grown diverse enough to accommodate different perspectives. Data from Ibisworld suggests that all together the royal entourage is worth more than US $ 60 billion and annually contributes almost £ 2 billion to the UK’s economy by way of boosting tourism, royal warrants and informal endorsements.
This huge ménage includes the longest reigning Queen Elizabeth, her son, his older son and his commoner wife with their three children and younger son, as well as his newlywed, Markle, who publicly identifies herself as ‘a confident mixed-race woman’.
Meghan Markle, who is not just an American actress but also biracial and divorced, stands to give the royals and the UK, in general, a modern facelift. Her wedding will go down in history as a key turning point in the country’s global image.
ON USING FASHION AS HER MESSENGER
For the ceremony, she picked a simple boat-neck gown designed by British fashion designer Clare Waight Keller, who is also the first-ever female Creative Director of luxury French fashion house, Givenchy.
Her second outfit, for the reception, was also a very simple but high-neck gown from British designer Stella McCartney.
In such a tumultuous time for the UK’s economy and governmental situation, the bride’s chosen outfits did not estrange her environment. By contracting two prolific women designers and keeping razzle-dazzle to minimum, she sent a clear political message of being both aware and understanding of public sentiments.
The bride’s long-sleeved and covered shoulders as well as the pristine white colour of the gown, were modern but do not veer away from royal codes of conduct.
Adding to her unembellished double silk cady gown was a stunning veil in silk tulle embroidered with the distinctive flora from 53 commonwealth nations around the circumference.
Going forward, Ibisworld predicts that the wedding of Prince Harry and Markle will generate £ 561 million in revenue this year, a major chunk of which will be by boosting British retail and touristic interest.
The wedding will assuage the country’s damp state of affairs, where everything from Brexit, petty crimes to an unfavourable Government has created chaos in the last few years.
Markle’s addition itself will fetch a good £ 150 million growth for clothiers and footwear retailers in the UK. Making the new ‘royal’, an influencer to watch out for in this market.
THE ‘MARKLE EFFECT’ ON FASHION AND TRENDS
So far, any brand Markle chose to wear for public appearances have seen positive upswings. For example, the white wrap coat she wore at her engagement, from Canadian brand Line the Label, led to a 320% increase in searches for white coats and a 219% search hike for the brand itself.
Hazel Catterall, Head of Women’s Wear Buying, Harvey Nichols, elaborates, “Our customer has reacted really well to brands that Meghan Markle has been wearing over the past few months. As a result, we have expanded our offerings into some of her favourite labels and will be stocking brands such as Line and Smythe in F/W 2018.”
It is quite obvious then, that simplicity, which was already gathering quite a bit of steam, will continue to evolve as a major trend in fashion, and especially so in bridal wear.
Markle’s pared down aesthetic is very dissimilar to the ornate lace gown that her royal sister-in-law Kate Middleton chose for her nuptials in 2011. The actor presented a fresh take on bridal clothing that delineates a no-fuss minimalism complete with clean and sleek cuts.
Understandably, the new royal’s choice to go simple was lauded across the board and her trousseau intelligently mirrored the poised elegance of adored British style icon Audrey Hepburn.
Though Markle clearly aimed for a classic approach, her selections are not that different from the trends the bridal industry is already working towards for next spring.
The recently presented Spring 2019 collections of popular bridal designers like Carolina Herrera, Viktor and Rolf, Amsale, among several others all centred around a ’90-style minimalist theme. Lightly embroidered sheers, like Markle’s 16-foot veil, is another big evergreen choice for brides everywhere.
There were, however, many who hoped in vain for the rule-defying royal to go for a more advanced trend, the bridal pantsuit. Her designer options could have ranged from Naeem Khan’s bedazzled numbers or other creative co-ordinates from designers like Jenny Packham, Vivienne Westwood or Tadashi Shoji.
The use of colour is another hot trend on the bridal scene that the industry hoped to see on Markle. After all, bridal favourite Vera Wang’s entire S/S ’19 assortment is decorated in lavish colourways like yellow, red and pale lavender.
Nevertheless, the trend did get a thumbs-up from the wedding’s guests, where Amal Clooney wore a sunshine yellow dress from Stella McCartney and the Queen, herself, donned a crisp green suit from Stewart Parvin and Angela Kelly.
All-over florals also stood out on the day’s best dressed list with Sofia Wellesly opting for an ankle-grazing Red Valentino micro-floral dress and Carey Mulligan in a similar tie-neck dress from London-based Erdem.
Markle’s second gown, a halter-neck in silk crepe, was a breath of fresh air. It was modern to the point of being almost sporty on top and the skirt, not being too full, means that brides who have always been looking for mobility and easy-going dresses will have a much bigger world of options to choose from.
While Kate’s lace sleeves and covered shoulders led to a rise is modest options for quite a few years, the ‘Markle effect’ (a princess who wears pants!) is sure to leave a lasting impact on not just the designers she chose to wear for her big day but also the trends she endorsed and will continue endorsing.
Her style being very different from Middleton will be a big plus and analysts expect her to be a bigger trendsetter than the latter because of her unconventional appeal and pre-existing fan base.
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