7 designers explain ‘the Kate effect’ on fashion sales

It’s a known fact that the Duchess of Cambridge is a trendsetter, but did you know just how real the Kate effect is for fashion businesses?

It’s a known fact that the Duchess of Cambridge is a trendsetter, but did you know just how real the Kate effect is for her favourite fashion businesses? Money couldn’t buy the direct impact that she has on sales and, from websites crashing to stampede sell-outs, there are plenty of designers out there with lovely things to say about how the Duchess has perked up their profits...

The high street hit: Reiss ‘There is no question that Kate choosing to wear Reiss has impacted our brand,’ David Reiss, Founder and Managing Director of Reiss told us. ‘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.’

The ethical label boost: Beulah ‘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 us. ‘We were a relatively unknown and young label, and it definitely helped spread the word about us and the cause that we support.’

The London designer sell-out: Matthew Williamson ‘The dress she was wearing sold out straight away,’ Matthew told Hello of this embellished look, which the Duchess has since recycled and worn again. ‘We just couldn’t make enough, we sold out of everything we had!’

The Brit label gone global: Goat ‘Certainly in America, it rang a few bells. It's an honour — and we were delighted,’ Jane Lewis, founder of Goat told PopSugar. ‘It's a nice nod. We're quite humble here. We carry on with what we're doing.’

The international hit: Whistles ‘It raises profile, it's great, we get known in countries we're not known in,’ Whistles CEO Jane Shepherdson told Business Of Fashion. ‘But it's not going to turn us into a success overnight because she wears it. The thing is that we don't do huge runs of anything. We might have sold out of it, but there might have only been 150 units.’

The queen for jeans: J Brand ‘I don’t think you could ever foresee the effect she’s had on any brand,’ a J Brand jeans representative told News.com.au. ‘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.’

The shoe show-stopper: Jimmy Choo ‘I’m so flattered when the Duchess chooses to wear our shoes and bags, she has so many, many choices,' Sandra Choi, creative director of Jimmy Choo, tells us of the Kate effect. 'I was especially thrilled when the Vamp generated so much interest in our stores after she wore them to the LA BAFTA gala.’