Outland Denim reached new heights when Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, wore a pair of the brand’s jeans four times while on her tour of Australia with Prince Harry in 2018 during her Australia royal tour.
“Oh man, it’s hard to put into words [the Meghan Markle effect] it caused a lot of growth and growing pains as well and that’s the awesome and challenging sign of something as miraculous as that.”
As a result of the interest caused by Meghan Markle, The Duchess of Sussex ,Bartle was able to create 46 new positions for women in his company. Something which has a flow-on effect into the communities and dependents the women are responsible for.
Bartle told the press at the time that online sales increased by 2300 per cent over the two weeks following Meghan’s appearance in the jeans saw, while traffic to their website spiked by 1000 per cent in the 48 hours after the Duchess wore them.
“She didn’t receive the jeans through us. We’re not sure how she heard of us but are thrilled that the brand’s ethos aligns with her own,” Bartle told Vanity Fair.
“On top of that, the denim is very comfortable and she wore them day after day on the tour. As a company it’s been win-win, but it’s benefitted people who really need help and I hope Meghan knows that.”
Outland Denim is one of ten businesses honoured in the 2019CO Leadership Awards, awarded by fashion technology and business platform Common Objective (CO).
The award was judged by representatives from the British Fashion Council, GQ and Vogue Australia magazine, fashion label Vivienne Westwood and luxury e-commerce retailer Farfetch. The award celebrates “disruptors” in the sustainable fashion space.
Outland Denim was started by James Bartle in 2011 and works with Cambodian women who have been rescued from trafficking to teach them new skills while also paying a fair wage and offering training and employment opportunities.
The brand uses sustainable materials such as organic cotton and recycled fabric waste.
Bartle said it was an “honour” to be recognized by what he sees as leaders in the sustainable fashion space.
“[CO] are campaigning for using fashion for good, and that’s always been our dream and desire … to help right the wrongs of the past in fashion.”
If Meghan can have such impact by wearing a pair of jean which create jobs for 40 women, can someone tell me what impact the rest of the royals have with the hard work they are reported to do? I don’t hear of anything out of the ordinary happening. No one wants the type of clothes Kate wears, unless she’s wearing the ones she copies from Meghan, and then they would have sold out by the time she gets to wear it.
Why do you have to pull Catherine down in order to make Meghan look good?
I didn’t know that. That’s impactful. Keep up the good work because you have a great brand.