The Kate effect: Indian fashion designer's website crashes after the Duchess of Cambridge wore her dress

As part of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's visit to India, the royal couple met with batting legend Sachin Tendulkar and took part in a game with some local children. 

 

Kate Middleton wore a printed tunic by Indian designer Anita Dongre to the high-profile charity cricket match on Sunday, April 10. Within a few hours, Dongre's website had crashed with frantic customers calling and emailing to get the very same dress, Mashabe reports.

 

The Duchess of Cambridge wore a customised version of Dongre's dress which is covered with Mughal motifs. The red and green Gulrukh dress is from the designer's summer 2016 collection, and was inspired by the city of Jaipur, the seat of a former princely state.

Middleton's stylist Natasha Archer had been in touch with the designer, and had asked for her look book and a few outfits for fitting. The final dress worn by Kate Middleton was a modified version of the original, with the traditional stole transformed into a belt.

Dongre said she had no idea if Middleton would actually wear the dress, and so the photographs came as a pleasant surprise. Immediately after the Duchess appeared in the dress, Dongre's team received a flurry of orders from all over the world, including the UK, Australia, Canada and the US, resulting in the crash. Luckily, her team worked hard to get the website running quickly.

Dongre's wesite is now offering Middleton's adaptation of the dress for Rs. 14,000 ($210)