The Scottish Bag That Sold Out Within 11 Minutes of Meghan Markle Wearing It
The ‘Meghan Markle Effect’ is on fire. Between key pieces by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen, Marks and Spencer, Burberry and Stella McCartney, the Duchess of Sussex has established a knack for exhibiting sartorial greatness and championing British designers. This discerning eye extends to her accessory game, particularly her fondness for Scottish luxury leather goods label, Strathberry.
For her first official royal outing with Prince Harry following their engagement, the Duchess was seen greeting crowds in Nottingham with the Strathberry Midi Tote in Burgundy/Navy/Vanilla. Fashion-savvy fans swooned over the tri-coloured arm candy, complete with signature gold bar closure, causing it to sell out in an impressive 11 minutes.
A Strathberry spokesperson stated: ‘We are thrilled and honoured to see Meghan Markle carrying our Strathberry Midi Tote in Tri-Colour Burgundy/Navy/Vanilla. We are delighted at the news of Her and Prince Harry’s engagement and wish them all the best for this exciting period. It was a fantastic surprise to see that Meghan selected one of our core Strathberry styles to carry on her first royal engagement.’
If one ‘It Bag’ wasn’t enough, the ‘Markle Effect’ struck again – this time on the couple’s first official visit to Scotland, when Meghan graced Edinburgh Castle’s esplanade with the Strathberry East/West Mini in Bottle Green.
In an exquisite display of colour coordination, the Duchess chose a double-breasted Burberry coat in Black Watch tartan (the official tartan for the Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland) to accompany her Strathberry chain-strap bag. This clever nod to Scotland only added to the sartorial magic in play, causing the East/West Mini to also sell out in a flash.
As part of their Edinburgh visit, the couple followed in the footsteps of George Clooney and Leonardo DiCaprio by visiting Social Bite, a pioneering social business dedicated to tackling homelessness in Scotland by providing jobs, support and Scotland’s first-ever village for the homeless community.
Strathberry commented once more with ‘We are pleased to welcome Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to Edinburgh on their first official visit to Scotland, and the support they are giving to projects in our historic city is fantastic.’
The statement added: ‘It is such an honour to see Meghan carrying a Strathberry bag again; this time an East/West Mini in Bottle Green. We are especially thrilled that Meghan is carrying Strathberry in our home city and also after she chose to carry her Strathberry Midi Tote for her first royal engagement back in December. We wish them the very best for their upcoming nuptials.’
Edinburgh-based Strathberry was founded in 2013 by husband-wife duo Leeanne and Guy Hundleby, who with their shared appreciation for beautifully handcrafted leather goods, travelled the wondrous leather regions of Spain for inspiration. After playing with shapes, proportions and materials, their vision turned to reality, and Strathberry was born.
Regarding the name, ‘strath’ is Scots Gaelic for a large wide valley, while the ‘berry’ part refers to the traditional method of using berries to dye Scottish fabrics.
With roots firmly set in Scotland and Spain, Strathberry’s international persona is all part of the appeal – kind of like wanderlust in bag form! While the HQ operates out of a 19th-century Edinburgh townhouse, the bags are crafted in Spain by the finest artisans using the most sought-after materials.
A testament to the label’s commitment to craftsmanship, Strathberry bags are handmade in limited quantities and can take up to 20 hours to create. In many cases, 36 pieces of leather, four layers of edge paint, 3,500 stitches and 21 pieces of hardware are used to produce just one Strathberry handbag.
Aside from oozing geometric excellence, understated style and clean lines, each handbag is adorned with the signature Strathberry bar closure. Both functional and sleek, every standout metal bar elevates the overall aesthetic and is inspired by the leather sheet music folios of performers and musicians.
As dreamy as the new Duchess herself, the Strathberry Midi Tote in Burgundy/Navy/Vanilla is currently in high demand as the label’s best-selling bag. Strathberry’s founders state that daily web traffic has skyrocketed – consistently up 400% from the daily average before Meghan Markle carried her first Strathberry bag.
As far as next steps, the Scottish company is in the process of launching a Japanese website due to its soaring popularity there, amidst a number of other grand plans. It’s clear that Strathberry mania is only just getting started, so watch this space! Embrace Scottish style and shop for your Strathberry here.
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