Meghan: Duchess of Sussex helps unemployed women dress for success

The Duchess of Sussex has launched a new clothing range aimed at helping unemployed women find a job.

Meghan has teamed up with charity Smart Works, which provides interview clothes and training to women who are out of work.

For every item bought in several high street stores or online, another will be donated to the charity. Meghan became its royal patron in January.

The collection’s unveiling was the duchess’ first official engagement since the birth of son Archie in May.

Items donated to Smart Works will help give women the “confidence and support (they need) to enter the workforce and take an important step in building a career”, Meghan said.

She also thanked the four brands involved for “placing purpose over profit and community over competition” while taking part in “this special project”.

Called The Smart Set, the “capsule collection” of seven items comprises “workwear essentials”, with sizes ranging from 6-24.

There is a “perfect white shirt, an elegant blazer, well cut trousers, a dress that flatters everyone and the perfect tote”.

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Two crepe shift dresses come in “vibrant blue and classic black” and retail for £19.50.

Slim-fit, black tapered trousers are £120, the shirt is £125 and the fully lined blazer, which fastens with a single button, is £199.

A pair of bags in tan and black are both £109.

The range has been developed by Jigsaw, John Lewis and Partners, Marks and Spencer and Meghan’s friend and designer Misha Nonoo, who is credited with introducing her to Prince Harry.

M&S is selling the dresses, while Jigsaw has the blazer and trousers.

The shirt is available from Misha Nonoo and the bags are at John Lewis.

The collection will be available for at least the next two weeks.

Smart Works client Kate said wearing the collection “made me feel like a boss – powerful and strong”.

When Meghan announced the project earlier in the year, she said she was drawn to Smart Works because it “re-frames the idea of charity as community, which, for me, is incredibly important: it’s a network of women supporting and empowering other women in their professional pursuits”.

Smart Works has helped more than 11,000 women and aims to dress 3,500 this year across its two London offices and additional spaces in Edinburgh, Manchester, Reading, Birmingham and Newcastle.

Meghan is also looking forward to future projects with Harry as part of their new foundation, saying: “This is the kind of work I’ve been doing for a really long time and to be able to do it here in my new home of the UK means quite a bit to me.

“It’s also the same vein of work my husband and I will continue doing – really strong community-based projects, and this is something we will be excited to share more about next year when we launch our foundation Sussex Royal in 2020.”

(c) Sky News 2019: Meghan: Duchess of Sussex helps unemployed women dress for success