Meghan Markle makes U-turn and renames her brand after first one was huge flop
Less than a year after launching her lifestyle brand ‘American Riviera Orchard’, Meghan Markle has renamed it.
In a new video shared to Instagram, the Duchess of Sussex said she was ‘thrilled’ to pivot the company and rename it ‘As Ever’.
She didn’t explain why she suddenly changed the name of her company but did allude to how it ‘limited’ her to selling items from her hometown, which is often nicknamed ‘American Riviera Orchard’.
But good news – she’s still selling her jams, which went viral when she sent them to celebrities last spring.
‘I’m thrilled to introduce you to As Ever — a brand that I created and have poured my heart into,’ she said
‘‘As ever’ means ‘as it’s always been’ or some even say ‘in the same way as always’. If you’ve followed along since my days of creating The Tig, you’ll know this couldn’t be truer for me.
‘This new chapter is an extension of what has always been my love language, beautifully weaving together everything I cherish — food, gardening, entertaining, thoughtful living, and finding joy in the every day,’ she added.
‘I will keep sharing behind-the-scenes tidbits with you here as we ramp up to launch, and I can’t wait for you to get your hands on everything we’ve been creating. Sending lots of love…’
The name change comes after an application filed last March for American Riviera Orchard was rejected, leaving her with three months to change it.
The previous trademark filing included cookbooks, cutlery, linens, table cloths, jams, jellies and nut butter.
A second international filing was even more extensive, covering stationery, garden tools, lights, tote bags and pet collars as well as a vast other variety of homeware.
It’s not Meghan’s first brush with lifestyle brands. Before she married Prince Harry in 2018, she ran her blog ‘The Tig’ for years.
When Meghan shut down that company, she wrote: ‘After close to three beautiful years on this adventure with you, it’s time to say goodbye to The Tig.
‘What began as a passion project (my little engine that could) evolved into an amazing community of inspiration, support, fun and frivolity. You’ve made my days brighter and filled this experience with so much joy.
Keep finding those Tig moments of discovery, keep laughing and taking risks, and keep being “the change you wish to see in the world”.’
‘Above all, don’t ever forget your worth – as I’ve told you time and time again: you, my sweet friend, you are enough.’
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