The Duchess of Sussex keeps adding recommendations to her ShopMy page! Earlier this week, Meghan launched her ShopMy page with a wealth of fashion recs, many of which have already sold out. Then she added a second page with beauty recs on Tuesday. But then something amazing happened on Wednesday… “The Wedding Edit” recs. All of the products Meghan used on her wedding day: ten products from Dior, Tatcha and Mac. A while back, Daniel Martin gave an interview in which he described how he did Meghan’s makeup on her wedding day and he cited a lot of these products in that interview. Mama’s getting DIOR BEAUTY money now. You can see Meghan’s new ShopMy page here. As for the money/commissions, Puck News had this really interesting piece about Meghan’s influencer energy and how much she’s actually making in commissions.
Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Montecito, has picked a side in the ShopMy vs. LTK battle, having casually dropped a link to a ShopMy page on her Instagram Stories Monday evening. The URL simply uses “ms,” subtly reaffirming her Sussex identity, while the page offers a high-low “duchess of the people” mix: neutral favorites from semi-affordable French handbag line Polène, sandals from Kering-owned Saint Laurent, cashmere from Loro Piana, J.Crew classics, and California label Heidi Merrick. I spoke to a rep from one brand who said they get Daily Candy levels of viral sales when Markle wears one of their items.
Markle also linked to a handbag from Cesta Collective—a brand that she recently invested in after being spotted out with Clare Waight Keller, who designed her wedding dress. (She also linked C.W.K.’s Uniqlo trench.) Every time someone clicks on the item and converts to purchase, of course, she will also make a commission, usually around 8-15 percent.
The move signals Markle’s calculated return into influencer territory. Before royal life intervened, her lifestyle blog, The Tig, covered fashion, food, travel, and beauty. Now she’s methodically reclaiming her space in the founder sphere with her insufferable Netflix show, With Love, Meghan; her podcast; and her Flamingo Estate knock-off brand, As Ever, which sells jams and other sundries.
In her renewed influencerdom, Markle is repackaging royal celebrity into aspirational founder status, blending aristocratic cachet with California entrepreneurship. In other words, attempting the ultimate rebrand from exiled royal to girlboss. After all, she has to pay for her own security now.
I’m really a peasant because I had to look up the “Flamingo Estate knock-off brand.” I guess Flamingo Estate is very popular in California? OMG, I’m reading the brand’s mission statement, it’s… um, very special. Anyway, I really didn’t know how ShopMy commissions worked and how much Meghan would actually be getting paid. In a panic, the British media cried about Meghan earning “millions” from ShopMy commissions, but in the early days, it sounds more like she’ll be making thousands, maybe tens of thousands. Still, a nice little revenue stream and even more evidence that Meghan can sell the crap out of anything without even trying. That’s an extremely valuable commodity and it wouldn’t surprise me if many brands would be willing to do anything to get on Meghan’s ShopMy list.
Photos courtesy of Cover Images, Avalon Red.
