15 Of Kate Middleton's Favorite Fashion Designers & Stores

After having undergone a spectacular style transformation from commoner to princess, Kate Middleton, officially Catherine, Princess of Wales, is now one of the world's most influential fashion personalities. 

Middleton is known for being a benefactor of British fashion. Newsweek reported that her style choices have inspired an estimated £1 billion (about $1.2 billion U.S. dollars) in incremental sales for the United Kingdom's fashion industry. However, she has also been known to engage in style diplomacy. When she travels abroad, she often wears clothing made by local designers in the countries she visits. Beyond that, she has frequently chosen to show appreciation for the countries she travels to by wearing clothing in colors similar to those countries' national flags. 

The end result: You never know what to expect to see Middleton wearing next. She has her favorite stores and brands, many of which are British luxury designers. However, she also frequently wears clothing by purveyors the British refer to as "high street brands." Basically, these are familiar, affordable, mass-market labels that ordinary people tend to wear. Middleton's list of favorite stores and brands includes an interesting mix of high and low-end merchants. 

Jenny Packham is a successful independent British fashion designer whose ready-to-wear fashions and wedding dresses are available for sale in major cities including New York City, London, and Paris. Packham is best known for outfitting Hollywood's A-list entertainers, both on-screen and at red-carpet events. Her client list includes many prominent people such as Kate Middleton, Rihanna, Angelina Jolie, Beyoncé, and Cameron Diaz. Packham's professional specialties include bridal gowns, evening dresses, accessories, and lingerie. 

Pictured above, you can see the floor-length Jenny Packham gown that Kate Middleton wore to a December 2022 Diplomatic Corps reception. The event took place at Buckingham Palace in London. The gown is intricately embellished with beadwork that forms eye-catching floral, hexagonal honeycomb, and starburst patterns. 

Middleton has a long history of purchasing evening gowns from Packham. In 2013, Middleton dressed up in a silk tulle Jenny Packham gown to attend the 100 Women in Hedge Funds gala event. In 2014, Middleton pulled the same gown back out of her closet to wear to the National Portrait Gallery's black tie fundraiser event.

Zara is an internationally-known fast-fashion brand. The company originated in Spain, but it has grown to operate stores in 96 countries. This retailer's primary claim to fame is its ability to quickly identify high-interest style trends and beat other retailers to selling them. Its production turnaround times are as short as two weeks, when its competitors typically take six months to produce a new style and make it available on store shelves, per Forbes.

Kate Middleton and the other royals typically dress down before six o'clock in the evening. That hour is the cutoff point before which tiaras and ostentatious jewels are considered unseemly. For royal daytime engagements, Middleton frequently wears down-to-earth, affordable clothing made by fast-fashion brands. Zara is one of Middleton's go-to brands for daytime wear. She was spotted wearing Zara dresses and separates at the 2013 Ring O'Fire Anglesey Coastal Ultra Marathon, the 2018 Maserati Royal Charity Polo Trophy, and many other outings.

Middleton is also frequently seen mixing higher-end designer garments with fast-fashion wardrobe pieces, as pictured above. Middleton utilized this approach for 2023's community impact day, when she took a trip to the south of Wales in February of 2023. There she and William, Prince of Wales, visited the Aberavon Leisure & Fitness Centre. The princess wore a modest black-and-white Zara midi skirt layered under a long, custom-tailored cream-colored coat by Alexander McQueen. She carried a top-handle bag by Mulberry and wore imitation diamond earrings by the London-based brand Heavenly. 

Catherine Walker & Co. is a London-based couture house that was originally founded by the late Catherine Walker, along with her husband, Said Cyrus. The brand is best known for producing regal, elegant coat dresses, coats, suits, gowns, and stylish accessories. Catherine Walker is best remembered for outfitting Diana, Princess of Wales, the late mother of William, Prince of Wales. Unfortunately, Walker passed away in 2010. The brand has continued operations under the direction of Said Cyrus.

Newsweek reports that Kate Middleton has placed orders for hundreds of styles from Catherine Walker & Co. The princess has chosen Walker's clothing to wear for some of her family's most important milestones. For example, in the photo above, the princess stands beside her husband Prince William at the National Service of Thanksgiving and Dedication for King Charles III and Queen Camilla in Edinburgh, Scotland. This service was part of a sequence of festivities surrounding a symbolic, unofficial coronation recognizing King Charles' position as monarch in Scotland. For this important occasion, the princess, whose official title when in Scotland is the Duchess of Rothesay, wore a tasteful button-front Catherine Walker coat.

British brand Beulah is a socially-conscious purveyor of sustainably sourced fashions. It's associated with a charitable division known as The Beulah Trust. This brand exists as a means to raise funds for empowering women who have been slavery or abuse victims.

In 2016, William, Prince of Wales, and Catherine, Princess of Wales, traveled abroad to India and Bhutan. One of the high points of their trip was a reception recognizing Bhutan's strong relationship with the United Kingdom. Princess Catherine wore a striking red Beulah dress featuring a floral poppy print.

When Kate Middleton attended the July 2023 Royal Charity Polo Cup in Windsor, England, she wore a printed blue and white Beulah midi dress, pictured above. In June of 2023, Middleton, who is a museum patron at the Young V&A museum, selected a solid-colored pale pink Beulah dress to wear when she presided over the reopening of the newly remodeled facility.

Beulah's co-founder Natasha Rufus Isaacs spoke with Marie Claire about the princess' patronage: "She's a wonderful ambassador for British fashion and her support definitely raises awareness and recognition of the brand."

Erdem is an independent British fashion brand offering ready-to-wear collections. The brand has earned recognition for impeccable craftsmanship and innovative use of textile prints.

Recently, William, Prince of Wales, and Catherine, Princess of Wales, attended the March 2023 Commonwealth Day service together at London's Westminster Abbey. Princess Catherine dressed in a printed floral Erdem ensemble which she paired with black pumps.

In August of 2022, she made a grand entrance at the Sail Grand Prix catamaran sailing event wearing a navy blue and white striped crew-neck cashmere sweater by Erdem. She paired the sweater with white shorts by Holland Cooper. 

In October of 2016, Prince William and Princess Catherine traveled to Manchester for a reception at the National Football Museum. They also paid a visit to Manchester's Town Hall for more royal undertakings. For the day's outing, Princess Catherine wore a richly textured, tactile-looking pink and blue woven coat by Erdem. 

Hobbs began as a British fashion brand, and the label is best known for making timeless designs. In 2017, the company was acquired by TFG Group, which is under the umbrella of the South African Foschini Group.

Kate Middleton owns multiple Hobbs styles. One example is the chestnut brown-colored Celeste Coat. The princess began wearing this garment in 2012. Since then, she has worn it frequently, taking it with her to various engagements including a September 2015 church prayer service in Scotland. She also wore an extremely similar, but longer, coat when she traveled to Cornwall in February of 2023.

Pictured above, Catherine, Princess of Wales, and her husband, William, Prince of Wales, were photographed on their way to Dedworth Green Baptist Church. Their objective was to volunteer at the Windsor Foodshare. For this engagement, Princess Catherine wore a different Hobbs outer garment, this time in a style known as the Tilde coat. She paired with Hobbs' Lara roll-neck sweater made of merino wool. Both pieces are a rich, gorgeous wine color that complements the princess' complexion beautifully.

Former 1990s fashion model Susie Cave founded The Vampire's Wife with partners. This brand's best-known style is the Falconetti dress, which Kate Middleton owns in shimmering metallic green. When William, the Prince of Wales, and Catherine, Princess of Wales, had their portraits painted together by artist Jamie Coreth in 2022, the princess chose to wear her Falconetti dress for the occasion. She had previously worn the dress for a trip to Ireland in March of 2020, where the Falconetti was her choice of attire for visiting Dublin's Guinness Storehouse Gravity Bar.

Pictured above, you can see her wearing a similar style, dubbed the "Light Sleeper." Princess Catherine wore this dress when she traveled with her husband to Belize as part of their royal Caribbean tour. During the tour, she and Prince William attended a reception with Belize's Governor General to acknowledge Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee. The princess' long, shimmering pink dress has flutter sleeves, a flattering fitted waistline, and a flowing, floor-length skirt.