Meghan Markle dons a £69 black and white wrap dress by a Malawian designer for her first royal tour outing in South Africa – and it sells out within MINUTES
- Duchess of Sussex, 38, wore a £69 dress by a Malawian designer this afternoon
- The black and white wrap dress sold out online within minutes of the first photos
- Meghan joined Harry at a South African township for their first tour engagement
The Duchess of Sussex showed her support for African designers as she stepped out for her first royal tour engagement today.
Meghan, 38, chose a £69 black and white wrap dress from Malawian brand Mayamiko as she joined Prince Harry, 35, in the Cape Flats, a township often described as South Africa’s ‘murder capital’.
The Duchess styled the dress with a pair of £80 Castaner Carina Espadrilles and kept her jewellery to a minimum, choosing to accessorise with a simple gold chain and a pair of £480 turquoise and diamond studs from Jennifer Meyer.
In a show of the royal’s extraordinary influence, the summer frock sold out within minutes of the label being identified online.
Meghan Markle, 38, chose a £69 black and white wrap dress from Malawian brand Mayamiko as she joined Prince Harry, 35, in the Cape Flats, outside Cape Town, today
The Duchess styled the dress with a pair of simple pair of black lace-up wedges for the outing today, pictured. Harry and Meghan are visiting Nyanga in the Cape Flats outside Cape Town
The decision to wear Mayamiko is a nod to Prince Harry’s scheduled visit to Malawi during the second part of the royal tour.
It also ties in closely with Meghan’s personal interest in enterprises that support and empower women as the brand works in conjunction with a charity and a workshop that helps to train and support women across fashion, business, and general life skills. also donates £1 to the Mayamiko Trust for every garment bought.
The decision to wear a lesser-known African designer could mark the start of a trend for the tour, with the Duchess of Sussex using the widespread public interest and media coverage to shine a spotlight on local talent.
The decision to wear Mayamiko is a nod to Prince Harry’s scheduled visit to Malawi during the second part of the royal tour. Pictured, the couple arriving in Cape Flats today
The royal kept her accessories simple, choosing not to carry a bag and wearing only discreet jewellery, including the delicate studs pictured
The couple were shown around Nyanga by the Justice Desk charity that helps school children in the area know their rights and defend themselves against crime and corruption
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Harry and Meghan are visiting Nyanga in the Cape Flats just outside of Cape Town today for the first stop on their 10-day tour of Africa, where one in 206 people are killed each year, according to recent statistics.
The couple’s visit to the troubled township has been arranged amid a major security presence, with details kept secret until the last minute to prevent unrest and four-month-old Archie left behind at their residence with his nanny.
School children supported by the charity Justice Desk were there to greet the royal couple as they arrived this afternoon.
The Sussexes knelt down to shake hands with Nyanga youngsters, with Harry unable to resist dancing with one boy and his wife Meghan giving him a big hug.
Meghan is pictured crouching down to greet a schoolboy who lives in Nyanga, Cape Town’s most dangerous township, after she and Harry arrived there this afternoon
The Duchess of Sussex stoops down to hug a Nyanga schoolboy as the couple arrive in the troubled township for today’s visit
Harry and Meghan (pictured greeting school children) are visiting Nyanga in the Cape Flats just outside of Cape Town today where one in 206 people are killed each year, as the first stop on their 10-day tour of Africa
How the Malawian designer worn by Meghan supports women
Mayamiko, founded by Italian entrepreneur Paola Masperi, is an ethical and sustainable womanswear and lifestyle brand that produces clothing, accessories and homeware, all made in Malawi by a team of tailors, pattern cutters and seamstresses.
The brand works in partnership with Mayamiko Trust, a charity set up by Mayamiko founder Paola Masperi in 2008.
The charity aims to help some of the most disadvantaged people in Malawi by ‘nurturing their creative talents and turning them in to sustainable activities that could be transferable to trade practices,’ the brand website states.
A model showcases the geometric print dress on the company’s website
In a show of the royal’s extraordinary influence, the summer frock sold out within minutes of the label being identified online, pictured
The clothing is made in the Mayamiko Fashion Lab, which is designed to provide training, education, nutrition, sanitation and fairer trade practices.
The project provides training in sewing and tailoring as well as financial and business skills to local, disadvantaged women, many of whom are affected by the HIV pandemic or who are carers of HIV orphans.
The brand also makes a donation of £1 to the Mayamiko Trust for each garment sold.