Meghan Markle is reflecting on changing the name of her lifestyle brand from American Riviera Orchard to As Ever.
The Duchess of Sussex, 43, got candid about the pivoting required to launch a new business during a conversation with Highbrow Hippie cofounder Kadi Lee on the Tuesday, April 22, episode of her podcast, “Confessions of a Female Founder.”
While Meghan originally introduced her lifestyle brand to fans as American Riviera Orchard last year, she announced in February that the brand would be known as As Ever going forward.
“I had secured As Ever as a name in 2022, and then as everything started to evolve last year, and bringing in a partner the size that it was, it was just so interesting,” Meghan explained the evolution of her business and her partnership with Netflix on Tuesday’s podcast.
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The royal continued, “You remember, I said, ‘I like American Riviera as an umbrella,’ and then be able to have verticals beneath it. And maybe have the ‘Orchard’ really small. But when that’s not feasible … suddenly it became this word salad. I didn’t love that so much.”
“I was like, ‘OK, let’s go back to the thing that I’ve always loved. Let’s use the name that I protected for a reason that had sort of been under wraps,’” Meghan added. “And then we were able to focus in the quiet and put our heads down and build on something that no one was sniffing around to even see about. It was really just helpful to have that quiet period.”
Meghan’s first collection of As Ever products — including her signature raspberry jam — sold out in an hour earlier this month. The launch followed the premiere of her Netflix lifestyle show, With Love, Meghan, which has already been renewed for a second season.
Meghan announced the name change via Instagram in February.
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“Last year, I had thought, ‘American Riviera, that sounds like such a great name.’ It’s my neighborhood; it’s a nickname for Santa Barbara, but it limited me to things that were just manufactured and grown in this area,” Meghan said in a video shared with her followers.
Meghan said she confirmed the name change when “Netflix came on, not just as my partner in the show, but as my partner in my business. which was huge. So I thought about it, and I’ve been waiting for a moment to share a name that I had secured in 2022, and this is the moment, and it’s called As Ever.”
“As Ever essentially means ‘as it’s always been,’ and if you’ve followed me since 2014 with The Tig [her former lifestyle blog], you know I’ve always loved cooking and crafting and gardening — this is what I do,” the duchess said.
Meghan captioned the post: “I’m thrilled to introduce you to As Ever — a brand that I created and have poured my heart into. … 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 everyday. 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.”
New episodes of Meghan’s “Confessions of a Female Founder,” produced by Lemonada Media, premiere every Tuesday.
