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Hong Kong-based brand Malabar Baby owes a lot to the Duchess of Sussex.
On Meghan’s first public appearance with her son Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor on July 10 – they were spotted at the King Power Royal Charity Polo Day in England – the Duchess of Sussex wrapped her two-month old in the brand’s Erawan Cotton Dohar, a traditional Indian summer blanket made of three layers of soft cotton.
News and social media platforms went gaga over the US$42 organic cotton wrap.
For the brand that was founded in 2016, it’s marketing gold. But founder Anjali Harjani-Hardasani told Vogue India, on Friday, that she had no idea the dohar had been bought by a member of the royal family.
“I was in Italy when I found out and I feel truly honoured. It’s great that Meghan Markle is advocating feel-good Indian fabrics,” she told the magazine. “What baby Archie is swaddled in is a receiving blanket – it’s extremely lightweight and snug, is made out of cotton voile and can be easily packed into a bag.”
A message on the Malabar Baby site reads: “Thank you for visiting! We are experiencing heavy traffic today.” Maybe it should include a thank-you note to Meghan. On the Lane Crawford site where the brand is sold, only one item remains.