Meghan Markle took ‘styling training’ to dress girls who had been left homeless by LA fires, charity founder reveals

Earlier this week, the teenage charity founder whose Los Angeles wildfire relief efforts were supported by the Duchess of Sussex praised her as being an ‘incredibly kind’ and dedicated volunteer. 

Avery Colvert, 14, set up the Altadena Girls Recovery Fund to help support young girls in her community ‘regain their sense of self and confidence’ in the wake of the devastation of the wildfires that ripped through California last month. 

Avery organised the fundraiser to collect ‘everyday items that allow these teenagers to thrive’ such as clothes, beauty and hair products as well as personal items. 

Shortly after Avery announced the donation drive on social media, stars like Paris Hilton, Ariana Grande, Kerry Washington, Charli XCX, and Bella Hadid stepped up in support – but one celebrity endorsement made her especially emotional. 

Speaking to Marie Claire, Avery said she ‘just started to break down crying’ when she found out Prince Harry and Meghan’s not-for-profit Archewell Foundation wanted to get involved with Altadena’s volunteer efforts. 

Last month, it was reported that Harry and Meghan had donated to the Altadena Girls through their Archewell Foundation but, Avery said, the Duchess went above and beyond to help her fledgling charity. 

Avery told the magazine that Meghan spent ‘multiple hours’ at Altadena Girls’ makeshift headquarters, donated clothes from her own wardrobe, and even got  ‘styling training’ so she could help the girls who came in pick their clothes and accessories. 

‘For all the girls that were coming in, they got to be styled by Meghan Markle,’ Avery continued, adding that some people ‘came in and just completely broke down’ when they saw the Duchess. 

For Avery, Meghan’s support has been life-changing; she is now focused on scaling the work of Altadena Girls as a full-time not-for-profit organisation. 

For Meghan, the association with Altadena is on-brand as she doubles down on her advocacy efforts in the best way she knows how – through the power of fashion. 

One of her first patronages as a senior member of the Royal Family was Smart Works, a charity that provides interview training and clothing to help women secure employment and re-enter the workplace.  

While Meghan was appointed patron of the non-profit in January 2019, when she and Prince Harry were still residing in the UK – she has continued to support the organisation with a grant from her Archewell Foundation since moving to the US. 

Shortly after taking over the patronage, Meghan launched a limited-edition clothing range to benefit the Smart Works charity in 2019. 

The capsule collection comprised of a £19.50 dress from Marks & Spencer; a £109 John Lewis tote bag; a £120 shirt from Meghan’s designer friend Misha Nonoo; and a £199 jacket and £120 trousers, both from Jigsaw. 

In 2022, Meghan announced a new partnership with the accessories brand Cuyana, which donated 500 tote bags to the charity.

The Duchess also celebrated the charity’s 10th anniversary with a heartfelt message that underscored the transformative power of clothes for women who ‘needed someone to believe in them’. 

The statement, shared to the charity’s Instagram page, read: ‘For the last decade, you have made an indelible mark on women across the UK who have walked into your doors in need of more than just an outfit – they needed someone to believe in them.

‘As I’ve said before, you provide much more than a handout, at Smart Works you provide a hand held. 

‘Over the years, I’ve seen firsthand the unforgettable smile that comes across a woman’s face when she receives the Smart Works experience of care, inspiration, and empowerment,’ Meghan continued. 

The Duchess has also mrands she endorses get a significant sales boost, as royal watchers break down Meghan’s outfits right down to her favourite pinky rings in detailed blog posts. 

One of the most notable examples of what has been dubbed ‘the Meghan effect’ was in 2017, when a bag from Scottish brand Strathberry sold out online in 11 minutes after Meghan wore it during an engagement during then-fiance Harry.

Finding out about the sales boost the brand received as a result of her wearing one of its items ‘changed everything in terms of how [Meghan] then looked at putting an outfit together’.

She explained to the New York Times that when she knows there will be a ‘global spotlight’ on what she is wearing, she will ‘support designers that [she has] really great friendships with, and smaller, up-and-coming brands that haven’t gotten the attention that they should be getting’.

Meghan added: ‘That’s one of the most powerful things that I’m able to do, and that’s simply wearing, like, an earring.’ 

For Strathberry, Meghan’s seal of approval meant the company was able to expand its workforce while it helped London-based lab-grown diamond company Kimaï secure a record-breaking investment from Dragons’ Den star Steven Bartlett. 

Female empowerment and entrepreneurship remains one of the causes closest to Meghan’s heart, with the Duchess receiving the Ms Foundation’s Women of Vision Award last year. 

 During a royal tour of South Africa in 2019, the mother-of-three met 12 inspiring women entrepreneurs at an event in Cape Town. 

Among them was Lauren Gills, the founder of a not-for-profit called Relate that employs women from disadvantaged backgrounds across South Africa to make bracelets for good causes. 

During her meeting with Ms Gills, Meghan praised the social enterprise by saying: ‘It’s such an interesting concept, by empowering these women from those backgrounds they are changing the focus of their communities and empowering the next generation.’

Last year, Meghan expanded her investment portfolio to include Cesta Collective, a ‘mission-based, responsibly-made’ handbag company that celebrates the ‘work of talented female artisans’ in Rwanda. 

The Duchess of Sussex – who ran lifestyle brand, The Tig, before meeting Prince Harry – first discovered Cesta when she was online shopping.

She told the NYT: ‘I spend a lot of time just Googling, looking for brands. When people are online looking for things or reading things, I’m trying to find great new designers, especially in different territories.’

Meghan was first snapped sporting an $800 white purse from the Collective to dinner with Harry in 2023.

According to Cesta’s founders Erin Ryder and Courtney Weinblatt Fasciano, after the Duchess donned the piece, they had an uptick in sales.

Meghan then decided to invest into the brand to help it grow. Although she declined to reveal how much she had forked over, the founders of Cesta revealed that it was a minority stake.

Erin and Courtney are planning to grow their business with Meghan’s involvement, with a longer term view of expanding into other categories, and working with women in more countries.

Like Avery, the budding American philanthropist, who recently moved Altadena Girls into a new 12,000-ft office space after Meghan’s Archewell Foundation helped the charity ‘to secure the building’ in Pasadena. 

Avery’s stepfather Matt Chait told Marie Claire: ‘They’ve continued to open lots of doors for us and make connections.’