Meet Strathberry, the Affordable Handbag Brand Meghan Markle Just Put on the Map

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published 5 December 17

Meghan Markle has only gone outside twice (officially, as Prince Harry's betrothed), but she's already proven she's got the same pull (opens in new tab) as fellow style icons Kate Middleton and Prince "I'm Dropping Out" George (opens in new tab). Empirical evidence of the Markle Effect: The businesslike Strathberry tote she carried to look appreciatively at people's cards sold out in 11 minutes (opens in new tab).

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If you, like a lot of royal watchers, were like "Strath-a-whatta?" on Friday, here's an introduction to the brand—before it becomes a household name.

Background Info You Don't Have to Look Up Yourself

Unlike the Firm into which Markle is marrying, Strathberry is comparatively young, having only been around since 2013. The Edinburgh-based house's goods—"defined by clean lines and the signature bar closure"—are produced in Spain, where it takes "up to 20 hours" (opens in new tab) to handcraft one bag. Paired with a Mackage coat (opens in new tab), the whole look links her past (Canada, where she lived to film Suits) and future (the U.K., which, let's not forget, isn't just England).

Handbag, Bag, White, Brown, Fashion accessory, Product, Leather, Beige, Luggage and bags, Design, — Strathberry, $675

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That One's Sold Out, Probably Until Princess Charlotte Goes to College, so What Else Is Good There?

Plenty of stuff! How about this small pink guy that has a top handle and shoulder strap you can switch between, depending on how many other things you're dropping holding securely in your hands?

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Or this backpack, which is probably just as cute as the baby one Prince George carries when he made to go to the place he's already fed up with?

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Or maybe this oversize tote that would be great for travel and/or smuggling out one of the Queen's corgis, who already like Meghan better than Harry (opens in new tab)?

Handbag, Bag, Leather, Product, Fashion accessory, Brown, Beauty, Luggage and bags, Material property, Tote bag,

With a coup as significant as a Markle-size placement, Strathberry has positioned itself to grow its celebrity headcount to Taylor Swift Squad numbers (pre-Balkanization (opens in new tab)). But even before that, the brand already has a none-too-shabby following, including Jamie Chung, Olivia Culpo, and Ellen DeGeneres and/or Portia de Rossi (it's kind of hard to tell).

Other Famous Friends of the Brand

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(Fairly certain it's Portia.)

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(Image credit: marie claire)

Chelsea Peng

Chelsea Peng is a writer and editor who was formerly the assistant editor at MarieClaire.com. She's also worked for The Strategist and Refinery29, and is a graduate of Northwestern University. On her tombstone, she would like a GIF of herself that's better than the one that already exists on the Internet and a free fro-yo machine. Besides frozen dairy products, she's into pirates, carbs, Balzac, and snacking so hard she has to go lie down.