Trump appoints handbag designer Lana Marks as US ambassador to South Africa

Ms Marks is not the only Mar-A-Lago club member to be offered US ambassadorship

President Donald Trump has nominated a member of his exclusive Mar-a-Lago resort to become US Ambassador, handbag designer Lana Marks

Ms Marks, 65, who was born and raised in South Africa, has made a name for herself in the fashion industry through her luxury handbags. The handbags—often made of exotic animal skin like ostrich and alligator—are typically priced from $19,000 to $400,000 and has been featured as celebrities’ accessories on the Oscars’ red carpet.

Jennifer Aniston is among the few celebrities who has said Ms Marks’ accessories are one of her favourites. The handbag designer was also a companion of the late Princess Diana and named a whole design collection after the princess.

Ms Marks, who is fluent in both Afrikaans and Xhosa, attended university in Johannesburg at the University of the Witwatersrand and the Institute of Personnel Management. She was also appointed to Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government’s Women Leadership Board and the Women’s International Forum for more than a decade. Ms Marks is also an avid ballet dancer and tennis player, even studying at the Royal Academy of Ballet and attempting to compete in the 1978 French Open.

Currently, Ms Marks resides in Palm Beach, Florida with her husband Neville Marks, a psychiatrist. She has been seen several times promoting Palm Beach as one of the “most exclusive” cities in the US.

“It’s the most exclusive part of the US,” she said, referring to Palm Beach, in an interview with South Africa’s Business Live. “It’s a small enclave, an island north of Miami. One-third of the world’s wealth passes through Palm Beach in season. The crème de la crème of the world lives there.”

The South African-born designer is also a member of Mr Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club and golf resort, where her daughter had her wedding. She is featured on the resort’s website, offering a testimonial about the club, which has a $200,000 initiation fee.

In addition to Ms Marks, Mr Trump nominated Mar-a-Lago members Robin Bernstein—a vocal and staunch defender for the president—to the US ambassadorship to the Dominican Republic, and Duke Buchan III—who donated $898,000 to the Trump Victory Committee—as US ambassador to Spain.

The president looked to nominate other Mar-a-Lago members, but they ended up turning down the offers either for family or health-related reasons. This includes Patrick Park—a philanthropist who hosted more than 200 fundraisers at the Palm Beach resort—as US ambassador to Austria, and Brian Burns—a major Trump donor—as US ambassador to Ireland.

Compared to her colleagues, Ms Marks seems fairly apolitical. She has made only one campaign contribution: $2,000 donation for Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential election.