Whenever the style-conscious Duchess of Cambridge steps out in a new dress, there’s a stampede from admiring shoppers and it sells out immediately.
Now, it seems, her newborn son is having the same effect. The cotton muslin wrap that the baby prince wore in his first public appearance leaving hospital has sparked a buying frenzy.
The white bird print swaddle, made by the trendy Australian-born company aden + anais, was at the centre of a surge in sales from fans both in shops and online.
But it doesn’t come cheap for British shoppers at $ 75 (£ 44.95) for a pack of four “jungle jam” wraps, including other prints of monkeys, elephants and giraffes.
“We are truly grateful and so delighted that the couple chose to debut the prince in aden + anais, it is such an honour!” aden + anais founder Raegan Moya-Jones told the UK’s The Telegraph newspaper. “We wish the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge many congratulations on the birth of their son.”
Australian mum Moya-Jones started up the company after spotting an enduring demand in the parenting market for good-quality wraps – despite so many other products becoming disposable, complicated and modern. The cloths can also double up as a pram cover, breastfeeding shawl, blanket or burping cloth.
Meanwhile, the so-called “Kate Effect” shows no sign of diminishing despite the spotlight shifting onto her son.
The blue polka-dot dress that the new mother wore after giving birth caused British designer Jenny Packham’s website to crash – even though it was a one-off, custom-made garment that won’t be reproduced for the mainstream market.
Many of the Duchess’s clothes are, however, from the high street and accessible to her fans. Another spike in sales is expected after her latest appearance in a lavender dress by maternity brand Séraphine.
