Meghan Markle stepped out for her first official outing this afternoon, marking the end of her maternity leave.
The Duchess of Sussex returned to work today in London to launch her workwear capsule collection, which will benefit her patronage Smart Works – a charity that supports unemployed women who want to enter or return to the workforce.
The mother-of-one, who welcomed her first child Archie back in May, wore two items from the collection for the launch.
Looking chic as ever, Meghan stunned in a white button-down shirt by Misha Nonoo, and suit trousers from Jigsaw.
The Duchess of Sussex arrives for the launch of her capsule clothing collection ‘The Smart Set’ at John Lewis this afternoon pic.twitter.com/vsXnyNj9Hm
— Chris Jackson (@ChrisJack_Getty) September 12, 2019
The 38-year-old delivered a short speech at the event, before watching a panel discussion.
Meghan said: “When I first moved to the U.K. it was incredibly important to me personally to be able to connect with people on the ground who were doing really important work. One of the places that I went to really early on was Smart Works.”
“To be able to have one small project that has such big impact is something I’m really connected to.”
“This is the kind of work that I’ve been doing for a really long time and to be able to do it here in my new home of the U.K. means quite a bit to me.
The Duchess of Sussex has given a very long and eloquent speech at the launch of @SmartWorksHQ capsule collection. Here is the end where she talks about hearing how the bag has already sold out online #duchessofsussex pic.twitter.com/WRIU433Ldz
— Victoria Murphy (@byQueenVic) September 12, 2019
“It’s also the same vein of work that my husband and I will continue doing, really strong community-based projects. And this is something we’ll be excited to share more about next year when we launch our foundation, Sussex Royal, in 2020.”
Meghan’s capsule collection, dubbed The Smart Set, includes a blazer and trousers from Jigsaw, a tote bag from John Lewis & Partners, a classic dress from Marks & Spencer, and a white shirt from designer Misha Nonoo.
The five piece capsule collection will equip the Smart Works clients with the classic wardrobe pieces to help them feel confident as they mobilise back into the work space.
For every item bought during the two-week online and in-store sale of the collection, one will be donated to Smart Works.
