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Kate Middleton: ‘The Kate Effect’ Explained By Designers, How The Duchess Has Impacted Their Brands

By Jessica Dafoe
Published on: 07:32 PST, Jul 14, 2016

Kate Middleton’s effect on choice designers, brands, and services is certainly no myth. “The Kate Effect” is all too real, and a number of designers have piped up to share just how much of an impact the Duchess of Cambridge has made on their businesses. From crashing websites to sell-outs in a heartbeat, Kate’s effect is no joke.

Marie Claire, UK shares words of specific designers who saw various pieces donned by the beauty fly off the shelf, following her stepping out in them. One example is Middleton’s choice to wear Reiss back in 2011. The Duchess selected the brand’s Shola dress for an event, during which she appeared in numerous photographs that showed up all over the internet. Founder David Reiss shares the impact Middleton had on his brand following the event.

“There is no question that Kate choosing to wear Reiss has impacted our brand. The surge in web traffic following the release of these images [of Kate wearing the brand’s Shola dress in 2011] caused our website to crash. The dress promptly sold out online when service was resumed.”

While meeting Barack and Michelle Obama, Kate opted for an ethical label and her choice piece to be a show-stopper in. The Duchess looked radiant in the designer dress that fit her form perfectly. Designer’s for the chosen brand, Beulah, shared their excitement at the fact that Kate selected one of their pieces for the occasion.

“‘I was so excited the first time I found out that the Duchess had chosen to wear one of our dresses,’ Beulah co-founder Natasha Rufus Isaacs, told [Marie Claire]. ‘We were a relatively unknown and young label, and it definitely helped spread the word about us and the cause that we support.'”

Some lucky designers have even been given two times the publicity by the Duchess’ decision to recycle the looks. It says quite a lot about Kate that she, who has access to multitudes of designer clothes and the money to buy as many first-time looks as she wants, decides to turn to trusted attire that she has already worn. Designer Matthew Williamson was sure to share his appreciation for the way Kate helped to sell out his embellished dress.

“The dress she was wearing sold out straight away. We just couldn’t make enough, we sold out of everything we had!”

It’s not only brands that design the high-end evening wear and flowing gowns that have experienced a boost, all thanks to the Duchess. The casual-wear lines have seen the effect of Middleton, as well. It’s rare, but Kate actually does step out in casual attire by times. When she does, she looks just as gorgeous and reminds how down-to-earth this young royal truly is. J Brand shares how surprised they were by the influence the Duchess had on their casual-wear line when she stepped out in a pair of their jeans. A J Brand representative spoke on the subject.

“I don’t think you could ever foresee the effect she’s had on any brand. She’s got this amazing influence none of us could ever predict to market. That’s what we’ve had from her just wearing them.”

From jeans to hair accessories to designer shoes, Duchess Kate makes a statement no matter what she slips into for an event or simply a day out at the polo match with the little ones. Even Sandra Choi, creative director for Jimmy Choo, relayed happiness over Middleton selecting to wear a pair of the brand’s fashionable heels over all of the other possible shoe designers she could have chosen.

“I’m so flattered when the Duchess chooses to wear our shoes and bags, she has so many, many choices. I was especially thrilled when the Vamp generated so much interest in our stores after she wore them to the LA BAFTA gala.”

The Kate Effect is certainly real, and, as Forbes shares, has even transferred seamlessly to her two little ones, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, who now also have a massive impact on what people seek to buy for their tiny tots.

[Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images]

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