Meghan Markle is nothing if not consistent. Last summer, while Prince Harry and Meghan were on their quasi-royal tour of Columbia, she was walking hand-in-hand with her husband, carrying a trendy white woven bag.
Meghan Markle Is A Minority Shareholder In Cesta Collective
Days later, it was revealed that Meghan became a minority shareholder in Cesta Collective.
According to the Daily Mail, Cesta Collective is
“a business set up by two wealthy New Yorkers who employ a small army of Rwandan women to weave their bags.”
Soon after, the Duchess of Sussex made a killing. It was discovered that these bags not only cost between $700 to $900, but the poor women only make as little as ten pence an hour. To clarify, ten pence is worth approximately $0.12 American, so they make about $0.96 per day.
Despite the backlash Meghan received for her involvement, she’s selling these bags on her ShopMyCloset site and will earn a commission on each bag sold.
Meghan could make over $200 per Cesta bag sold through her online platform. Her ShopMyCloset site features various clothing and accessories, each with affiliate links that direct followers to the respective brand’s website for purchase.
ShopMy site’s co-founder, Tiffany Lopinsky, boasted that many of her “creators,” as she refers to individuals like Meghan, can earn up to a thirty percent commission and make millions a year selling items on her site.
Essentially, Meghan will make more money for doing nothing than the women who spend all their time and effort making these bags. Her philanthropy is touching.
The company claims to offer dignified employment opportunities to talented female artisans. The women who make these bags would beg to differ.
Meghan Markle previously made this comment,
“With Cesta, I really started to understand how many women’s lives were being impacted and uplifted through their work. That was incredibly important to me.”
Weavers Who Make Bags Make As Little As Ten Pence An Hour
Further investigation revealed that the weavers who make the Cesta bags from their mudbrick and cement homes in Rwanda make next to nothing during their long, grueling eight-hour day.
Female laborers who make ten pence an hour make as little as $1.00 a day, which is below the World Bank’s classification as “extreme poverty.” One woman admitted she was praying to God that she could earn more money for her work.
Another female weaver explained,
“We use our income to supplement what we earn from farming, but it’s difficult. I can’t say the money is bad, but I do wish it was more.”
When Meghan was pictured with one of the bags while on a dinner date with Harry, it led to the company making the most money in the history of Cesta Collective.
Using these women as a marketing ploy or get-rich-quick scheme seems heartless, and some refer to it as “poverty porn,” which occurs when media, nonprofits, and charities gain empathy from donors by exploiting the poor for money. The scandal has raised questions about the company’s ethical standards.
Cesta responded to the accusations,
“Cesta has acted in good faith and understanding through our partnership with All Across Africa, which operates on the ground in Rwanda. Recent allegations have been an attempt to discredit that work with speculative information that has been unethically manipulated.”
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