The ‘Duchess effect’ crashes Karen Gee's online store, and she couldn't be more happy

Karen Gee is used to dressing intelligent, powerful women, from TED star Amy Cuddy to many of Australia’s most recognisable TV personalities but on Tuesday she was “surprised” to see one of her dresses on Meghan, Duchess of Sussex.

And she looked incredible.

Gee talks to LinkedIn about what it means for her business, as well as why she studied at Harvard University, and the importance of her upbringing in a family business.

What was it like seeing the Duchess of Sussex wearing one of your designs?

It was a very happy surprise for us to see her in the dress on the first day of The Royal Tour. I have always been a huge fan of Meghan's style – classic, chic and effortless – as it is so aligned with the Karen Gee aesthetic and philosophy of creating designs to make every woman feel beautiful. And she really did look incredible in the Blessed Dress.

Has there been an influx of interest in your label since the Tuesday morning appearance?

The response has been absolutely overwhelming. The website as you know was inundated yesterday and we have had such incredible support from our loyal customers, as well as many many new ones of course. We're very grateful and humbled by the amount of interest in what we do and the opportunity to introduce even more women to Karen Gee.

Tell me about your decision to study at Harvard University and how that has influenced your fashion business.

Harvard was an extension of my business upbringing, working in my parents' businesses from the age of 9 – every day before school and after school and weekends. 

It was always instilled that we must work hard to create our way, and a little hard work never hurt anyone. 

I guess at the time, I thought I was so hardly done by, not being able to hang out with my friends often enough. I now think how incredibly lucky I was to have this upbringing, and know the value of hard work.

What advice do you have to mums wanting to start their own business?

To all mums and women out there, I encourage you to step out of that comfort zone, believe you can create something you are passionate about and the rest will fall into place. 

I of all people am a testament to this, having no design training, no experience in the field of fashion. 

I had an idea, I had a passion for empowering women, a passion for beautifully structured garments. 

Brought it all together with hard work and a lot of knock backs, but kept going, kept believing – still so much to learn (and I am sure to make mistakes along the way), but this is what makes our journey in life interesting and enables us as women to be stronger. 

For me it is also about showing my children that I am not perfect, I make mistakes, but can still be very successful.