Meghan Markle has revealed a rebrand of her American Riviera Orchard lifestyle collection and explained why she made the decision to chang...
Meghan Markle has revealed a rebrand of her American Riviera Orchard lifestyle collection and explained why she made the decision to change its name to As Ever - but previous reports cast doubt on the Duchess's reasoning.
The mother-of-two, 43, took to her new Instagram account which boasts 1.8 million followers, to introduce the new name of her passion project.
The mother-of-two claimed that the original name of her brand 'limited' her to ingredients that were made in the area, and explained she instead wanted a broader name; something she claimed she has been working on 'for the past few years'.
'Then Netflix came on, not just as a partner in this show but also as a partner in my business, it was huge.
'So I thought about it and I've been waiting for a moment to share a name I secured in 2022 and this is the moment and it's called As Ever.'
However, Meghan's explanation is at odds with a previous Vanity Fair report about the name; in which residents in the Montecito/Santa Barbara area had never heard of the region being called 'American Riviera Orchard'.
Locals spoken to for the story, which analysed the success of the Duke and Duchess's ventures since moving to Montecito, said they were not familiar with the name American Riviera Orchard in connection with where they live.
Vanity Fair spoke to those connected to Meghan and Harry, including people who had worked with the couple and those who lived in their area to get a sense of their journey five years after leaving the Royal Family.
However, when they interviewed locals about Meghan's lifestyle brand, the magazine stated that 'no one' they spoke to had ever heard Montecito referred to as American Riviera Orchard.
'It's such a kind of hucksterism,' one resident told the outlet. 'It's just finding every way she can to monetise something.'
'I still think they're the most entitled, disingenuous people on the planet,' they added. 'They moved away from England to get away from the scrutiny of the press, and all they do is try and get in the press in the United States.'
This is a far cry from the reason Meghan explained in her Instagram video, where she stated that the name limited the direction she could go in and restricted the products she could use to locally-sourced items.
On Monday evening, eagle-eyed royal fans spotted a new Shopify website - called As Ever - featuring a brand-new image of the Duchess.
But some claimed that they had found a Shopify store American Riviera Orchard, which has since been taken down, with some suggesting it shows that As Ever was rushed through.
Prior to Meghan's announcement, internet sleuths had already discovered a Shopify website she'd set up for her As ever products, featuring an unseen picture of the Duchess cooking.
The shot is believed to have been taken during Meghan's original ARO promo a year ago.
However, it appears she made a last-minute change about the branding and the previous URL as-ever-store.myshopify.com now takes shoppers to her new website asever.com, which features a picture of Meghan and her daughter, Lilibet.
And according to the United States Patent and Trademark Office, a trademark application is still pending for the name As Ever.
Its launch comes just two weeks before the release of her Netflix show With Love, Meghan, after it was delayed from its original January launch date due to the LA Wildfires.
In what the Sussexes will hope will be a new money-spinner, products will include food such as 'fruit preserves', as Meghan grandly called them today, adding: 'I think we're all clear at this point that jam is my jam'.
American Riviera Orchard emerged last year when Meghan began sending jams in limited edition jars to her most famous friends to share on social media, helping its Instagram gain more than half a million followers. But it eventually hit a wall.
In her Instagram clip, Meghan also appeared to take a dig at the royals and the sacrifices Meghan felt she made when she fell in love with her husband, after she had not been able to share her passion for food and home for 'years' after she shut her lifestyle blog The Tig.
'As Ever essentially means as it's always been, and if you've followed me since 2014 with The Tig, you know I've always loved cooking and crafting and gardening — this is what I do,' she said.
'And I haven't been able to share it with you in the same way for the past few years, but now I can, so as things are starting to trickle out there, I wanted you to hear it from me first'.
Patent applications uncovered by MailOnline suggest that As Ever will also sell textiles such as tablecloths and napkins, skincare and haircare products and throws, blankets, bedspreads and household scents such as candles and diffusers.
There will also be gardening trowels, spades and pruning shears and inside the home there will be cutlery and kitchen knives.
Meghan says As Ever's products will include jam but added that it will be like The Tig and include 'cooking and crafting and gardening'.
She also confirmed that Netflix is a business partner after MailOnline revealed that her products will be sold in two malls in the US at the streaming giant's new bricks and mortar store.
Meghan, wearing a white linen shirt and blue jeans, told fans: 'The cat's out of the bag.
'I'm shocked we've kept this a secret for so long. In two weeks my show is coming out, which I'm so excited for. And also my business, which I think there has been a lot of curiosity about.
'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.'
'Then 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.
In her Instagram caption accompanying the video, she added more.
'Some of you may have heard whispers about what I've been creating,' she said.
'In two weeks, my series on @netflix launches — but there's something else I've been working on. I'm thrilled to introduce you to As Ever — a brand that I created and have poured my heart into.'
'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,' she continued. '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. Sending lots of love… As ever, Meghan.'
In the photo, the Duchess is seen cooking up a storm in her Montecito kitchen, adding the text: 'Save Your Seat At The Table'.
The new As Ever page also features a new logo, consisting of a palm tree and two hummingbirds either side, with calligraphy in a similar style to Meghan's lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard - which has faced numerous difficulties.
The application - which also features the stylish scrawl - was first filed in 2022 and lists items including spreads, jewellery and candles.
The saying has become one of Meghan's favourites in recent months and is used frequently by the Duchess, who ended her Valentine's post to Prince Harry last week with: 'As ever, Meghan'.
As well as ending a vast majority of her Instagram posts, including her Netflix trailer, tribute to her late dog Guy, and account of helping a wildfires victim, Meghan also signed off episodes of her Archetypes podcast with the closing message.
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FEMAIL has reached out to representatives for the Sussexes for comment.
It is understood that the show will plug several new products from the range.
While the Duchess soft-launched the brand in April by sending jars of strawberry jam to 50 of her famous friends, including Chrissy Teigen, Mindy Kaling, Kris Jenner, and former Suits co-star Abigail Spencer, the activation was followed by a long lull period.
At the time, it was reported her legal team had sought an extension in her attempt to secure a trademark for the company.
She first applied for the trademark for her jams and homemade goods in the summer of 2024 - but the bid was rejected in August due to issues with the filing.
Meghan was then given three months to address errors and challenges to the application.
Last November, she asked for another three months to complete this. If the deadline is missed, the application will need to be started again.
Meghan first lodged documents with the US Patent and Trademark Office earlier this year but suffered an embarrassing blow when the forms were not filled in correctly.
Her bid to secure a trademark for American Riviera Orchard has also been contested by rival lifestyle brand Harry & David, who own the 'Royal Riviera' trademark and allege it's too similar to the name for Meghan's lifestyle company.
Meghan's legal team, led by top US attorney Marjorie Witter Norman, applied to the Patent and Trademark Office in the States in March for legal protection to exclusively trade using the name American Riviera Orchard.
The duchess has also been told that she cannot have exclusive rights to American Riviera because it is a commonly used place name to describe the California coast where she and Harry live.
Representatives for the Sussexes have previously said such hurdles were 'routine and expected when filing for trademarks'.
The Sussexes have also reportedly 'struggled' to find a CEO for Meghan's new home goods and lifestyle venture – although sources close to the Duchess have insisted she is happy running the business herself.
This week the Mail revealed that a selection of Meghan's products will go on sale in stores called 'Netflix House' in malls in Dallas and Philadelphia, bringing consumers merchandise linked to Netflix shows.
A source said: 'Those stores won't open for several months. So the question is: Where is she going to sell the products, and does she even have products ready to sell?'
Sources close to Meghan said 'stayed tuned' when asked if the brand's launch was imminent.
Meghan departed last week's Invictus Games in Canada early, leaving Prince Harry to celebrate today's closing ceremony alone.
She stated that the reason was to spend time with their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet - but may also have been working on her product lines last minute.
Meghan's new lifestyle show was originally set to air in January but, according to Netflix, was pushed back because of the devastating LA wildfires.
It is understood the show is being edited 'to include Meghan's philanthropic work around the fires' which included visiting victims in Altadena, California.
This week she bragged about how she scored scored Billie Eilish merchandise for one 15-year-old girl who lost her family home.
The source added: 'Netflix is expanding and growing all the time and Netflix House is a natural progression. Meghan's products will be in there alongside shirts and merchandise from some of the biggest shows on the planet.
'It's a bigger deal for her than it is for Netflix. If her show doesn't take off, then her merchandise will be quietly taken off the shelves and replaced with products associated with a more popular show.
'Netflix has a huge arsenal of shows to draw on so this venture into bricks and mortar retailing makes sense.
'Eventually they are hoping to open stores internationally.'
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