On September 12th the Duchess of Sussex launched her capsule clothing collection Smart Set on the sunny rooftop of Oxford Street’s John Lewis in London, a clothing line which benefits the charity Smart Works, of which she is a royal patron.
Ahead of the launch Meghan shared a handful of videos to the Sussex Royal Instagram story, showing behind-the-scenes footage of a shoot with three women modelling the collection.
And now, one of the models, Kate-Lily de Graft-Johnson, has told People exactly what went down during the shoot saying she was completely stunned when Meghan made an appearance.
Kate-Lily, a woman has benefitted from the support and resources provided by Smart Works, revealed, “I was so shocked. But Smart Works likes surprises,” after being asked what it was like to meet the Duchess at the photoshoot.
“She said hi and hugged us and I was like ‘Oh my gosh!’ She was styling us. She was welcoming us. She was putting us at ease. It was phenomenal,” Kate-Lily told People.
“She was wonderful the whole day.”
Kate-Lily has a group hug with Meghan and the other models from the Smart Set shoot. (Image: Jenny Zarins /@sussexroyal)
The 33-year-old was also in attendance for the collection’s launch, and after a speech and then panel discussion about the project, Meghan chatted with a number of the women Smart Works – a charity which works to support women get in or back into the workforce through training such as job interview workshops, to providing them clothes to work into their job interviews with confidence – have supported, including Kate-Lily.
“She was talking about community,” Kate-Lily told People following her chat with the Duchess.
“Smart Works is literally a community – it has brought us together. We even have a little Whatsapp group. The ladies are constantly in touch.
“She talked about us being together and being there for each other. More women need to be like that. The fact that Smart Works actually does that and supports you and empowers you… I had an experience that was negative as a woman, and you are kind of on the back foot,” she shares.
“And then you come to Smart Works and they are sincere from the very beginning and they are there for you and you have an experience that is catered for you.”
And what did she think of her gig as a model for the collection?
“This charity helps with ticking off dreams,” she said.
“This is where dreams come to happen. I loved it. And now I have the clothes to take home with me.”
Meghan with some some of the Smart Works clients, including Kate-Lily (far left), at the launch of her Smart Works capsule collection. (Image: Getty)
The Smart Set capsule collection, which is a collaboration headed by Meghan with British department stores Marks & Spencer, John Lewis, fashion label Jigsaw and designer Misha Nonoo, features five workwear essentials and for each item sold, one will be donated to a woman at Smart Works.
The collection includes a white button-down shirt, a black blazer and trousers, a black dress and a tote bag, which was announced to have sold out online, before the collection had even officially launched!
Rocking the collection’s shirt and trousers paired with a tan belt and matching suede pumps, Meghan welcomed the attendees and spoke about her belief in the need for women to work together to support one another, whether you know each other or not.
WATCH: Duchess Meghan launches her capsule clothing collection in London. Story continues below…
“As women I think it’s 100 per cent our responsibility, I think, to support and uplift each other to champion each other as we aim to succeed, to not set each other up for failure but to instead really be there rallying around each other and say, ‘I want to help you’,” she said.
“And you may never meet that person, but you’ll know that when you put on that blazer, or you put on that jacket or that shirt and you carry that tote or put on those trousers or that dress, that some other woman on the other side of this country is wearing that piece because you made that purchase.”
