Meghan Markle’s newest investment seems to already be facing some backlash. In August, the Duchess of Sussex was revealed to be an investor in Cesta Collective. The company incorporates baskets woven by Rwandan women into handbags that are then sent to Italy for the finishing touches. These bags typically retail between $490 and $890.
Erin Ryder and Courtney Fasciano, who founded the company, state on Cesta Collective’s site that they “pay 500-700% times the national average salary of Rwanda.” However, one social media influencer felt that the organization was indulging in what she called “poverty porn” and only bragging about their pay “to make shopaholic Western women feel better for purchasing yet another handbag that they don’t need.”
“I thought that we had collectively decided that western women using African women as props to enhance their own image was inappropriate, but apparently we haven’t,” the TikTok creator said in a lengthy rant posted on August 31.
The influencer also took issue with the promotional image used to sell the handbags which featured two white women sitting on a bench surrounded by Rwandan women sitting on the ground around them.
“Images matter,” the content creator continued. “Here we have two western women sitting on a bench, the Rwandan women gaze up at them. It’s inappropriate to use these women as a marketing tactic for your brand, especially when they’re not full-time employees nor do they have any ownership of your brand.”
She concluded, “This isn’t a charity. You’re not saving these women. You’re doing what you’re supposed to do, which is pay them a living wage so that they can support their families.”
Several people in the comments slammed Meghan, 43, for investing in the brand.
Meghan Markle’s New Investment Cesta Collective Receives Backlash
“The [white women] sitting on the bench while the rest are on the ground is revolting. Meghan Markle thinks she’s progressive but every move she makes is to get richer. The royal family is trash but so is she,” wrote one TikTok user.
Another person added, “I will always say this. Meghan Markle ain’t sheet herself, she is just a high yellow passing white woman who exploits Blackness to her advantage, how could she invest in something like this?”
However, some of those in the comments attempted to give Meghan the benefit of the doubt, considering she was simply an investor.
“I don’t like the bench image and I agree with what you said. MM is just an investor, maybe she could counsel them,” a third TikTok user wrote.
Meghan, who recently participated in an interview with The New York Times on August 29 after returning from a trip to Colombia, spoke about her decision to invest in Cesta Collective. The article revealed that in 2020, the Suits alum began “investing in a small portfolio of female-run companies,” which is what led her to the handbag company.
“I spend a lot of time just Googling, looking for brands,” the mom of two explained. “When people are online looking for things or reading things, I’m trying to find great new designers, especially in different territories.”
