Meghan Markle has been touted as a fashion icon that can sell out any item in hours, just by wearing it. But is that really true? Well, if the closing of the luxury brand Roland Mouret is any indication, the answer is no.

It came out today that Roland Mouret a brand, famous for its tailored dresses, has entered administration, i.e. bankruptcy. 

Meghan has previously been associated with the brand and is allegedly a friend of the designer. She famously wore a navy dress from the brand as she walked into her hotel with her mother the night before her wedding.  

Other notable occasions when she wore the brand included her first trip to Ireland, where she wore a grey day dress by the designer. Most people may remember this as the outfit as being so tight it was obvious that the duchess was wearing a strapless bra. 

She also chose his designs for an evening event, where she wore a navy sequin gown. It’s rather famous as the night where she allegedly told her husband Prince Harry that she was suicidal. 

Walking around precariously on her extremely high heels while supposedly dealing with the aftermath an emotional breakdown always struck me as a bit odd, but to each their own.

She most recently wore his designs on her tour of New York, a black skirt under the oversized camel coat she had on while conducting a pseudo royal tour for her reality television show.

But despite her consistent support of the brand, it wasn’t enough to save it from bankruptcy. Apparently, Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, being associated with your brand is not a guarantee of success.

While it’s completely understandable that the brand folded, as it happens with clothing companies fairly frequently especially in difficult economic climates, but it’s the second major fashion casualty during her time in the spotlight.

The other is Claire Wright Keller, the woman who designed her wedding dress and several other notable pieces for her as a Duchess under the French luxury house Givenchy. 

Claire famously lost her job as artistic director of the brand a couple of months after Megxit, with no other job lined up. Though it hasn’t been publicly stated that she was fired, her tenure only lasted a couple of years and it was likely that she was strongly encouraged to resign from the role as the departure was a bit of a shock.

After Meghan chose Claire to design her wedding dress, Givenchy became more of a household name than ever before, introducing the luxury label to a broader audience. The newly minted duchess also consistently wore the label, but apparently it wasn’t enough.  

It’s like Meghan being a duchess and wearing the label was the only reason that Claire had her position as long as she did, and when the former actress left the royal family there was no longer really any reason to keep her around any longer. 

Though Givenchy is a premium luxury brand, Meghan’s forays with it were hit and miss. Her wedding dresswasn’t as tailored as it should have been and was excruciatingly plain, with nothing of interest. In addition, it also wrinkled, much like most of her other Givenchy pieces. Claire was also the designer of the lampshade dress that she wore on her engagement with the Queen, which was one of Meghan’s more unflattering ensembles and wrinkled throughout her day of engagements.

Clearly, Meghan did something for the brand for a while, but it did nothing to help sustain Claire’s employment in the long-term. And since Claire left, Meghan has never worn another Givenchy outfit.

While several brands have been given a boost by Meghan, like Aquazzura and Sarah Flint, she is not a 100% guarantee of success. In fact, a recent poll shows that Meghan is third when it comes to Google searches on royal fashion, with Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, taking the top spot and Princess Diana taking the number two spot. Meghan is in third, behind a dead woman.

So, the question remains, is Meghan Markle really a fashion icon who can sellout anything? Or can she potentially lead to a brand’s demise?