Meghan Markle's go-to footwear brand Aquazzura feature snaps of the Duchess wearing its heels for her engagement photoshoot and wedding reception in new advert
The Duchess of Sussex has long been a fan of the Italian footwear brand READ MORE: Why Meghan Markle and Nicole Kidman were missing from British Vogue and Edward Enninful's final cover that 'needed almost as much planning as D-Day'
Aquazzura has included pictures of the Duchess of Sussex in its new ad campaign – including photos of Meghan Markle sporting its designs during her engagement photoshoot and wedding reception.
The Italian fashion company is slowly becoming a household name in luxury footwear, largely thanks to Meghan.
The mother-of-two seemingly initiated the fashion trend among British royals, then Kate took it up. Beatrice and Eugenie followed. Zara was next.
But it was Meghan that the footwear brand chose to feature in its latest advert, which was shared to Instagram yesterday.
Aquazzura included photographs from the Duke, 39, and Duchess of Sussex’s engagement photoshoot and later their wedding reception, with Meghan donning the brand’s designs in each.
Aquazurra has included a photograph of the Duchess of Sussex donning a pair of the brand’s shoes from her engagement photoshoot with Prince Harry in its latest advert
Meghan wasn’t the only A-Lister that Aquazurra chose to feature in its new ad, with the likes of Taylor Swift, Queen Letizia of Spain, and Beyoncé also featuring.
The 20-second clip also shared images of Aquazurra stiletto heels across several glossy magazine pages, with its pineapple trademark taking centre stage in many shots.
Amongst the snaps are Meghan and Harry on the day they announced their engagement in 2017.
Meghan, then 36, stepped out wearing a favourite pair of nude heels as she joined Harry, then 33, for the engagement announcement photo call in the grounds of Kensington Palace.
The Suit actress donned a pair of £550 ‘Matilde’ heels by Aquazurra, shoes she had previously worn on several occasions.
The pumps were markedly different from the more traditional shoe choices hitherto made by royal women.
These were doubtless influenced by the late Queen Elizabeth, who had conservative views on footwear – and strong views on certain styles. It is said that her distaste for a wedge heel meant Kate only ever wore them for events the Queen was not attending.
So, Meghan’s engagement shoes, with their four-inch heel and crossover detail, were quite a departure.
The ad-campaign includes the Duke and Duchess of Sussex on their engagement shoot and wedding reception, where Meghan sported Aquazzura designs
Matched with a Stella McCartney high-neck gown made of silk crepe, Meghan donned a pair of silky satin Aquazurra shoes with soles painted in baby blue on the day of her wedding reception
Meghan accompanied several celebrities in the campaign, including Beyoncé (left) and Taylor Swift (right)
The glossy campaign showcased a number of its luxurious designs against a stunning backdrop
One year later, in May 2018, Meghan opted for another pair of Aquazurra heels on the day of her wedding reception.
Matched with a Stella McCartney high-neck gown made of silk crepe, the bride opted for a pair of silky satin Aquazurra shoes with soles painted in baby blue.
Meghan has also got her mother, Doria, 67, into them — she wore a bespoke pair to the royal wedding.
Other A-list fans include models Poppy Delevingne and Gigi Hadid, actresses Gwyneth Paltrow, Salma Hayek and Nicole Kidman, plus singers Rihanna and Beyonce.
Queen Letizia of Spain and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands have joined the Aquazzura gang too.
And they’re not the only international royals who love the brand’s timeless-meets-modern fusion: the achingly cool Princess Olympia of Greece was announced as their ambassador in 2022.
Meghan attended the opening of Oceania exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts in Aquazzura’s Bow Tie Pumps 105
Kate left a ceremony for the re-opening of the National Portrait Gallery in Aquazzura Bow Tie heels last year
Most Aquazzura heels are from 3½ in to 4.5½ in — the optimum height for enhancing posture, studies have found. Made of soft leather, they are also comfortable, one of the reasons the brand became so popular.
Many Aquazzura shoes are named after stars. There’s the £885 Debbie bootie, after singer Debbie Harry; the £470 Forever Marilyn slingback; and the £670 Sharon stiletto, a nod to movie star Sharon Stone.
Aquazzura means ‘blue water’ in Italian and on each sole is the company’s gold pineapple logo.
‘When I started the brand, it was all about Italy and the Riviera,’ founder Edgardo Osorio previously told the MailOnline. ‘There, you see stone pineapples outside villas. The pineapple is a symbol of hospitality.
‘Then I discovered that in Asian cultures, the gold pineapple is a symbol of good fortune.’
Princess Beatrice in her Aquazzura Forever 105 black suede pumps for the Easter Service at St George’s Chapel Windsor last year
Zara Tindall at a VIP reception in Forever Marilyn black suede pumps from Aquazzura in November 2023
Queen Maxima wore a wool cape from Belgian couture label Maison Natan over a trouser and top by the same designer last year. She added a splash of colour with the Lady Dior pouch in a shade of cherry red. The look was finished with black suede pumps by Aquazzura
Edgardo, is rather a prodigy. Born in Colombia and raised in Miami and London, he studied at the London College of Fashion and, at 23, became Roberto Cavalli’s head of footwear design.
Two years on, he set up Aquazzura — its HQ is in Florence — and the brand is known for bold patterns, metallics and exotic skins.
Sold in high-end department stores, prices range from £370 to £1,500. Edgardo said: ‘Whenever you put a pair of my shoes on, you should feel like a million dollars.’
Had he not been a shoe designer, he says, he would have become a plastic surgeon — such is his desire to enhance female beauty.
Edgardo lives in a 15th-century palazzo with partner, Ricardo D’Almeida Figueiredo, a former Louis Vuitton and Gucci publicist.
Social media users took to X, formerly Twitter, to share their thoughts on Meghan’s feature in Aquazurra’s latest advert
Royal fans took to X, formerly Twitter, to share their thoughts on the new advert, and many were pleased with Meghan’s feature.
One said: ‘I spy with my little eye, a certain American Princess in the latest Aquazurra ad.’ A second added: ‘I just saw this ad and got really excited.’
‘Ending the ad with two pictures of Meghan. I know Aquazzura loves her for the exposure she gave them’, said a third.
Another wrote: ‘She always looks so graceful and elegant in their shoes, when I see Aquazzura pumps, I always think of Meghan.’