Meghan Markle’s latest Instagram post included quite a surprise for a Chicago business owner.
On Feb. 4, the Duchess of Sussex shared a selfie-style video on Instagram in which she shared her excitement about receiving Billie Eilish merchandise for a teen whose home was damaged in the recent Los Angeles fires. Meghan, 43, was sporting a black crewneck sweatshirt featuring the names of her two children — Prince Archie, 5, and Princess Lilibet, 3 — stitched along the collar. The product was from Club Chainstitch, a woman-owned small business that uses a 1920s chainstitch machine to create custom products.
Owner Ann Leachman tells PEOPLE she became aware of the Duchess of Sussex’s fashion choice when a friend sent her the video asking if it was from her company.
“I was so stunned. I had to do a double take and almost didn’t believe it was one of ours, even though the writing on her shirt is in my literal handwriting,” Leachman says.
Leachman says it was a “regular, random order” made through the shop in 2022. However, Meghan’s name was “nowhere on the order, so I thought nothing of it and never put the connection together with her children’s names as the text choice. That explains how surprised I was to see her wearing it over two years later!”
“I’m not sure if it was a gift or if Meghan ordered it herself,” she adds. “Either Meghan loves to support small women-owned handmade businesses or she has great friends in her life who do. Likely both!”
Ann Leachman
Leachman was taking a break from her shop for maternity leave after welcoming her first child in November when the news of Meghan’s support broke.
“I was planning on easing back to work very slowly by opening the shop up a week from now,” she says. “But after I saw the reel of Meghan wearing a Club Chainstitch sweatshirt, I knew this was a game-changing moment for a small business like mine, and I had to open up early. It has been a wild way to come back to work, and I am so grateful for all the orders and support!”
She expressed excitement on social media, writing, “What a way to come back from maternity leave! I had planned to keep the shop closed until next week but decided to open up early because this is the coolest thing ever!”
Ann Leachman/Club Chainstitch
Meghan’s custom sweatshirt sells for $73, with buyers able to personalize their design with one to three words, symbols such as a heart or moon and a choice of where to put their text on the clothing. Club Chainstitch also offers t-shirts, hats and bags, all customized at a Chicago studio.
“Chainstitch embroidery is unlike modern machine embroidery because there are no computers or programmed designs involved,” according to the company’s website. “The stitching is guided by hand, giving each piece that old-school, hand-drawn vibe. Due to the handmade nature, every item is slightly one of a kind.”
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Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty
Meghan recently returned to Instagram ahead of her new Netflix series With Love, Meghan. The series was originally scheduled to debut on Jan. 15, but it was postponed to March 4 due to the Los Angeles fires with Netflix’s support.
“I’m thankful to my partners at Netflix for supporting me in delaying the launch, as we focus on the needs of those impacted by the wildfires in my home state of California,” Meghan said in a statement.
Click here to learn more about how to help the victims of the L.A. fires.
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