meghan markle black and white dress
Photo by Samir Hussein/WireImage

Meghan Markle Kicks off Royal Tour of South Africa in Vegan Wrap Dress

The tour has started off on a very stylish note.

Happy Royal Tour Day! OK fine, it’s not an official day, but it is one that brings us plenty of joy as we get to see the Duke and Duchess of Sussex (and baby Archie!) for the next week as they tour South Africa.

The family landed in Cape Town today and got straight down to business, with Meghan and Harry visiting the Nyanga township just outside of the city. The visit saw the pair visit Justice Desk, an initiative that teaches children about their rights, awareness, safety (they also provide self-defence classes) and female empowerment. It is supported by The Queen’s Commonwealth Trust, for which Harry and Meghan serve as president and vice-president respectively. They met with the founders, as well as many of the schoolchildren that the NGO supports in the township.

For the first day, Meghan wore a black and white, vegan, cotton wrap dress (costing just $110) by a South African label called Mayamiko. The label uses limited edition fabrics purchased from local markets in Malawi via a network of female traders. The brand is also sustainable – “We make our garments on demand, meaning we never waste fabric by over-producing,” it writes on its website – and eco-friendly. “Sourcing our textiles locally means we can reduce our carbon footprint (yay for the planet!) and grow the local economy,” writes the brand. Plus, all pieces are made in its solar-powered workshop in Lilongwe and many are certified by the Global Organic Textiles Standard, Earth Positive and Fair Trade Federation. For the outing, Meghan paired the dress with Castaner wedges – a favourite of her sister-in-law Kate Middleton, also.

meghan markle black and white dress
Photo by Samir Hussein/WireImage

The Meghan effect has already hit the brand as the dress is now sold out on its website.

Following the visit to Justice Desk, the royal couple visited the District Six Museum which looks at the forced removal of 60,00 people during the Apartheid era and the District Six Homecoming Centre where former residents can meet together. Here, they participated in a cooking class.

Stay tuned for more Royal Tour updates.

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