Duchess Kate’s Midas touch helps clothing chain double profits

December 29, 2011 | Cinema | Written by

London, Dec 29: The Duchess of Cambridge has sent the profits for a high street fashion chain soaring by giving royal approval to the brand’s dresses.

The 29-year-old royal was still plain Kate Middleton when she posed in a 159 pounds cream asymmetric Nanette dress by Reiss for last year’s official engagement pictures taken by Mario Testino, Princess Diana’s favourite photographer.

She wore the dress again during the couple’s first official tour to Canada this summer and the firm was forced to reissue the garment after demand reached fever pitch and examples sold on eBay for 750 pounds.

She gave the brand further endorsement by choosing Reiss’s nude 175 pounds Shola dress to meet US President Barack Obama in May, leading to a 200 percent boost in numbers visiting the firm’s website.

She also chose a cream chiffon-skirted 195 pounds Peacock Reiss dress for a trip to the Epsom Derby in June.

The “Midas touch” of its No1 fan has helped give Reiss annual pre-tax profit in the UK of 13 million pounds, up by 44 percent.

Sales leapt by 10 million pounds from 78 million pounds to 88 million pounds and a pre-tax loss of 2.1 million pounds was converted into a final profit of 3.6 million pounds in the financial year to January 31, 2011.

“There is no question that the Duchess of Cambridge choosing wear Reiss has impacted our brand. When she has been photographed wearing Reiss we have been inundated,” the Daily Express quoted a spokeswoman for Reiss as saying. (ANI)