The “Kate Middleton Effect” is so real — especially in the fashion world. Because so many people look up to her, they always want to wear what she’s seen wearing. She has a lot of power to help boost the economy of not just Britain, but countries all over the world. It seems that the Duchess of Cambridge understands this power, because Kate frequently wears clothes by local designers when she goes on international royal tours. That way, when customers want to replicate her look, they’re buying local and boosting the economy of the place the duchess is visiting. She’s done this on almost every tour she’s been on since she became an official working royal in 2011. It’s just one small way she can help give back.
Kate’s given back in this way to her home country to the tune of millions of dollars. According to Business Insider, she brought $205 million into the British economy in 2015, and her kids have helped bring millions in as well. On a smaller scale, Kate has helped do the same for India, Pakistan, Australia, Canada, and Sweden and the many other places she’s visited.
Even if she’s just visiting a country for a few days, it’s immensely helpful to the local economy when Kate Middleton dons a local fashion designer. Fashion houses have seen their websites crash as a result of how many people suddenly become interested in their clothes after Kate sports a particular brand.
She doesn’t exclusively wear foreign designers on her trips, but she does seem to be making a conscious effort to support them in any way she can — and “the Kate Effect” is a great way to do so. Here are 20 times she wore a local brand to the place she visited.
Good First Impression
Kate’s first tour as an official royal was to Canada, and she started the trip off on the right foot. When Kate got off the plane in Ottawa, she was wearing a blue lace dress from Canadian designer Erdem. It was the first time she wore the brand, but Erdem has become a part of her regular wardrobe ever since.
Pretty in Purple
A trip to Singapore in 2012 called for a whole new set of locally designed clothes for the Duchess of Cambridge’s wardrobe. She kicked the tour off with a stunning, purple dress by designer Prabal Gurung. It was a pricey piece, ringing in at over $2,000, but honestly, it’s basically a wearable abstract painting — so that price point makes sense.
Skirt Set
The next Singaporean designer that Kate wore on her tour was with this pretty patterned outfit by the brand Raoul. It’s not actually a dress, but rather a skirt and top that just seamlessly blend together, thanks to that belt. The full outfit cost about $521, and she paired the look with some nude heels to let the breezy dress pop on its own.
Florals at the Airport
When Kate briefly visited Brisbane, Australia, in 2012, she wore a floral frock from Australian designer Dannii Minogue’s Project D Label. A year later, the label closed, but at least Minogue can look back fondly on the time that the future queen of England wore her dress. That’s definitely a career highlight for someone in the fashion world.
Sunshine Yellow
For a trip to Tuvalu in 2012, Kate Middleton wore this yellow eyelet dress that was reportedly from an independent local designer. It was never revealed who the designer was, but Kate loved the dress enough to wear it again two years later during her tour of Australia. We’re big fans of the look, too. It’s so pretty and perfect for warm weather.
Beach Weather
The duchess wore another eyelet dress in 2014, when she visited the beach in Sydney, Australia. This time the cream-colored sundress was a piece by Australian designer Zimmermann. Unsurprisingly, the $500 dress quickly sold out. It’s the Kate effect that almost everything she wears sells out, which can be a huge boon to the local economy of the places she’s visiting when she wears local designers.
Matchy-Matchy
Also in 2014, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visited New Zealand for several days. Kate stepped off the plane in this all-teal outfit (we’ll never know how she travels in such formal clothing) by the New Zealand-born designer Emilia Wickstead. Kate’s a big fan of the brand — even when she’s not in New Zealand — and she’s worn several Wickstead dresses over the years.
Saying Goodbye
When it came time to leave New Zealand, the duchess said goodbye to the country the best way she knew how: by wearing one of its local designers. Her blue tweed suit is a Rebecca Taylor design that Kate had actually worn prior to this tour, but it made extra special sense to wear it while in the fashion designer’s native country.
Scottish Kilt
When in Scotland, wear a kilt, right? That was Kate’s motto at least when she visited Edinburgh in 2016. The duchess paired a black turtleneck and heels with a tweed skirt by Scottish designer Le Kilt. At the time, the brand was fairly new, having been founded by Samantha McCoach in 2014. Kilt-making ran in her family, with Kate’s grandmother being a traditional kilt-maker for generations.
Casual Comfort
A return trip to Canada in 2016 saw Kate giving a more casual look a spin. She wore jeans, cowboy boots, and what looks like the world’s comfiest wrap sweater. We love the ribbed detailing on the sleeves. This was an intentionally chosen sweater, because it’s by the Canadian brand Sentaler. The duchess knows she has to represent local designers when she can.
Playing Cricket in Heels
Kate Middleton is super athletic, so she’s always down to play sports on her various world tours. At a stop in Mumbai, India, Kate joined some local children for a cricket match. (She played in a dress and heels, no less!) Her gauzy gown was designed by Indian fashion designer Anita Dongre, who saw her website crash after Kate inspired the world to go buy this outfit.
The Royal Blues
On the final stop of Prince William and Kate’s India and Bhutan tour, the couple visited the Taj Mahal in Agra, India. They color-coordinated in blue with matching sunglasses, and Kate wore an intricately embroidered dress from Indian-American designer Naeem Khan. Her outfit is basically a work of art, so it was perfect to wear to visit the Taj Mahal with its own impressive construction.
Ready to Party
She doesn’t look much in the partying mood in this particular picture, but the Duchess of Cambridge was at a pretty fun event here. It was the Queen’s Birthday Garden Party in Poland, and Kate got to wear a special dress for the occasion. Her geometric cocktail look was designed by the popular Polish fashionista Gosia Baczynska.
Cozy Catherine
In 2018, Kate and William visited Sweden and Norway for a quick royal tour. While in Stockholm, they went to an event celebrating Swedish culture — so it only made sense for Kate to arrive on theme. To beat the cold January weather, a pregnant Kate wore a warm, fur-trimmed coat by Swedish designer Ida Sjöstedt.
Glowing in Green
In 2019, William and Kate toured Pakistan for several days, and Kate wore a ton of local designers while there. (She’s actually wearing two in this outfit.) The coat is by one of Kate’s favorite brands Catherine Walker — and it’s not a Pakistani piece — but the pants and the scarf both are. The white pants are by Maheen Khan, and the scarf is by Satrangi.
Blue for Days
On the second day of the trip, Kate wore a traditional kurta that was also designed by Maheen Khan. The all-blue ensemble looks so good on the duchess, and she kept the matching going by wearing blue earrings, too. All of it also coordinates with her sapphire engagement ring, of course. If blue is a royal color, Kate is the reason why.
All Dressed in White
Kate came dressed to play cricket in her adorable white sneakers. We also love her white embroidered traditional outfit from the Pakistani brand Gul Ahmed. It’s interesting that she would pick such a light color to play sports, but the duchess certainly knows how to play cricket, so maybe she knew she wouldn’t get dirty.
Trendy Turquoise
For a visit to the Badshahi Mosque, Kate wore a head covering out of respect. It matched her silky turquoise outfit, creating one pretty, coordinated color palette. This is another Maheen Khan design, a fashion brand that got a ton of love from the duchess on this tour — and for good reason!
The looks are all stunning.
More Cricket
Kate wore yet another white outfit to yet another cricket match during her tour of Pakistan. This outfit was by the luxury Pakistani brand Élan and is so pretty with its intricate embroidery. This was one of Kate’s last looks before leaving the tour, and she went out on a high note. We loved her fashion so much on this trip.
Irish Stroll
Before the whole world shut down, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge went on a tour to Ireland in early March. While there, Kate sported this chic olive-colored coat by the Irish brand Dubarry. Kate and William were visiting a farm and hiking on this day, so she went with a more casual, utilitarian look. The jacket is still for sale in some sizes for $379.