Duchess Meghan launches charity fashion range

Britain's Duchess Meghan

returned to work on Thursday for the first time following the

birth of her first child with husband Prince Harry to launch a

new fashion range. The sales will help a charity supporting

unemployed women.

Meghan has made a handful of public

appearances since son Archie was born in May, but the launch of

the fashion collection, created in collaboration with well-known

British stores and fashion designers, marks her first official

engagement.

Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, leaves a department store after launching the Smart Works capsule collection in London. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)

The sale of the "Smart Set Capsule Collection" will last for

at least two weeks and is designed to help Smart Works, a

charity that provides quality clothes and training for

unemployed women for job interviews.

For every item bought, one will be donated to the charity

which Meghan became the patron of earlier this year.

View this post on Instagram

Introducing the new Smart Works collection, #TheSmartSet Over the last year, The Duchess of Sussex and @SmartWorksCharity have come together to launch a very special initiative. Following numerous visits to the charity, The Duchess, who is patron of Smart Works, noticed an underlying issue... while the donations were plentiful, the right sizes and classic wardrobe staples were not always available. Since then - having partnered with leading British fashion designers @InsideJigsaw, @JohnLewisandPartners, @MarksandSpencer and @MishaNonoo - The Duchess has championed the launch of a new Smart Works capsule collection that will help properly equip these women for their next chapter. • “When you buy any item in the Smart Set Capsule Collection for Smart Works, the same item will be given to a Smart Works client, and with it, the confidence and support she needs to enter the workforce and take an important step in building a career.” - The Duchess of Sussex Created in September 2013 with the goal to help unemployed women regain the confidence that may have been blurred during more difficult times, Smart Works provides invaluable support in these women’s return to employment and towards transforming their lives. Not only do they supply complete outfits for job interviews, Smart Works provides access to one-to-one interview training and the opportunity to join Smart Works Network, meeting every month to further their professional and personal development. #TheSmartSet collection – that features a shirt, trousers, blazer, dress and bag – will be on sale for two weeks starting today. Please support the women of Smart Works by purchasing one of the pieces and being part of another woman’s success story. Video ©️ SussexRoyal / Photo ©️ @JennyZarins

A post shared by The Duke and Duchess of Sussex(@sussexroyal) on Sep 12, 2019 at 9:07am PDT

The items include a blazer and trousers from fashion chain

Jigsaw; a tote bag from department store John Lewis; a classic

dress from Marks & Spencer and a white shirt from fashion

designer Misha Nonoo, a friend of the US-born duchess.

"Since moving to the UK, it has been deeply important to me

to meet with communities and organisations on the ground doing

meaningful work and to try to do whatever I can to help them

amplify their impact," Meghan, 38, said in a statement.

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex speaks during the launch the of her Smart Works capsule collection at a department store in central London. (Mark Large/Pool photo via AP)

"Thank you to the four brands who came together in

supporting Smart Works on this special project - placing purpose

over profit and community over competition."

Reuters