The Duchess of Sussex is credited with helping vulnerable women in Cambodia to find safe work after wearing a pair of Outland Denim jeans in Australia last fall.
Meghan wore a pair of skinny black jeans by Outland Denim during a visit to the drought-plagued city of Dubbo last fall, and the CEO of the brand says that after she was spotted wearing them, sales rose 640%.
As a result, the ethical brand, committed to hiring seamstresses who are “at risk of falling into poverty” which is a “contributor to trafficking vulnerability” and using high-quality ethically and environmentally sound raw materials, was able to hire 46 women.
Outland Denim notes that many of these seamstresses are survivors of sex trafficking or forced labour.
“The core of our business is about giving opportunity to vulnerable women, and for Meghan to align so closely with that and to expose us to the world, it’s been huge,” James Bartle, Outland Denim’s CEO said to People in an exclusive interview in this week’s issue.
“For these individual women who had this opportunity as a result [of Meghan], it’s a really hard thing to be able to explain,” says Bartle.
“It’s not just that one woman who has been impacted, it’s her entire family. You really can’t put a value on…the fact that their dignity is restored by their own hard work, not by anyone else.”
Meghan’s effect on Outland Denim is two-fold. In addition to spotlighting the company and increasing their sales to the point of hiring 46 seamstresses, Meghan is also creating demand for the product.
The black jeans she wore in Dubbo are still on pre-order and it’s likely they won’t be available until April.
“Some people have waited six months or longer for these jeans,” Bartle says. “I had one lady call up and she was buying everything Meghan had worn!”
Bartle says that he hasn’t spoken to Meghan about the effect that she’s had on his business, but said that if he could talk to her, he’d thank her.
“She is absolutely making a conscious decision with the products she is wearing. I want nothing more than to give her a hug and say thank you, not just from the women here today but for the women of the future.”
