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For a small Melbourne fashion label, getting Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, to wear your clothes seems impossible but for Julia McCarthy it was as simple as opening her Instagram account.
Two weeks after discovering that Meghan slid into the DMs of her independent label Friends With Frank, on Thursday McCarthy saw the duchess wear her $599 Lou camel coat and $389 khaki Anya dress at separate events in her hometown.
“We have been waiting to see if she would wear one of our pieces since she arrived in Australia,” McCarthy says. “We started with outerwear 14 years ago, so for her to wear our coat was a real moment of pride. To see her hours later in our dress was another surprise.”
“We’ve never had this exposure before on a celebrity, but to see someone like the duchess wearing our clothing, and wearing it well, is unbelievable.”
When McCarthy received the fortuitous Instagram message, she questioned its authenticity but was soon conversing with Meghan’s team who selected a number of Friends With Frank pieces to be sent to the US.
She was given the heads-up that Meghan would wear something on the non-official Australian tour, but the where, when and which item, remained unclear.
“This means so much for us to get this recognition, both locally and internationally,” McCarthy says.
The former fashion buyer launched her label after failing to find a coat she liked. Today the business creates pieces for the everyday woman, which now includes Meghan.
With a store on Gertrude Street in Fitzroy, and a second store opening on High St in Armadale in two weeks, McCarthy and her staff of seven are waiting to see if the Meghan Effect kicks in. Australian brands Karen Gee and St Agni, worn by the duchess on the first day of the Sussexes non-official tour, are already seeing strong sales.
On Wednesday, Meghan had no public appearances but continued to champion Australian labels while filming an episode of Channel 10 cooking show MasterChef and attending a private gathering of the Nexus Summit, billed as the next generation of philanthropists.
Promotional images for her surprise TV appearance feature Meghan wearing a black shirt from Matteau, founded by Sydney sisters Iloma Hamer and Peta Heinsen, a black skirt from Camilla and Marc and earrings from Paspaley.
Apart from her mother-in-law Princess Diana’s Cartier watch, the $18,180 Opal Lavalier pearl earrings are the most expensive item worn by Meghan on the Australian visit. Meghan first wore the earrings in Sydney in 2018, when she was a working royal.
At the Nexus Summit event Meghan wore a top from Sydney label Beare Park and trousers from Brisbane brand Dissh.
Meghan again reached for the Paspaley earrings to accompany Harry to the InterEdge Summit in Melbourne on Thursday. Friends With Frank missed out a wardrobe trifecta, with a $330 vest and $320 skirt from Danielle Mulhan’s Australian brand Posse entering the spotlight.
“There are so many bigger labels than us,” McCarty says. “The support we received means everything.”
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