Meghan Markle attempted to explain her rebranding, but some experts aren’t buying it.
Earlier this year, the Duchess of Sussex announced on social media that her lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard, was being renamed As Ever. On Tuesday’s episode of her podcast, “Confessions of a Female Founder with Meghan,” the duchess shed new light on why she changed names, noting that American Riviera Orchard “became this word salad,” adding, “I don’t love that so much.”
Notably, the 43-year-old didn’t address her trademark blunders which, according to the experts, could have made the duchess more relatable in a podcast about launching a successful business.
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“Her reasoning has been more excuse than clear explanation,” Doug Eldridge, a branding expert and the founder of Achilles PR, claimed to Fox News Digital. “Her statements don’t ring authentic candor. Sometimes the hard thing and the right thing are the same thing. Unfortunately, Meghan keeps choosing what she believes is the ‘easy thing.’ Thus far, it hasn’t worked.”
“[Her trademark issues are] sloppy work by her team,” he claimed. “Meghan has a lot of holes to sew up, and until she does, she’ll continue to return to shore with nothing to bring to market.”
Last September, the mother of two suffered a professional setback when the U.S. patent and trademark office refused the application for American Riviera Orchard, The Telegraph reported.
According to the outlet, the office warned that businesses could not trademark geographical locations, noting that American Riviera was a “common nickname” for Santa Barbara, where the former American actress resides. The addition of the word “Orchard” made “little difference.”
The outlet also warned that the descriptions of the duchess’ products could fit into multiple trademark categories.
At the time, Meghan’s team said the pushback was “routine and expected.” However, her issues didn’t end there.
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Food and gift retailer Harry & David filed a protest against American Riviera Orchard in October, the New York Post reported. According to the outlet, they claimed that the name was too similar to their “Royal Riviera” product line.
In November, the outlet reported that the “Suits” alum’s legal team requested a three-month extension in an attempt to secure a trademark. The U.K.’s Independent reported that the duchess attempted to trademark the brand over the summer. However, it was rejected due to issues with how it was filed.
In February, Meghan announced on Instagram that she was renaming her brand to As Ever.
“The trademark issues and name change derive from her lack of preparedness and expertise in this arena,” British royals expert Hilary Fordwich claimed to Fox News Digital.
“[There’s also a] strategic misalignment with the marketplace. The United States Patent and Trademark Office refuses trademarks that are primarily geographically descriptive, which is rather obvious. This is not a complex issue at all.”
Fordwich believes that even Meghan’s biggest supporters are “somewhat weary with every misstep she makes that is amplified.”
“She should be more cautious, consistent and, above all, authentic to avoid being just another celebrity-turned-entrepreneur,” she warned. “She is not coming from a place of authenticity.”
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In her podcast, Meghan said she secured the name As Ever in 2022. She said “everything started to evolve” in 2023, especially when she partnered with Netflix on both the brand and her lifestyle series, “With Love, Meghan,” which showcased some of her products.
“It was just so interesting because, you remember, I said, ‘I like “American Riviera” as an umbrella and then to be able to have verticals beneath it and maybe have the “Orchard” really small,’” she said.
While the name “American Riviera Orchard” was first announced in March 2024, Meghan said it quickly “became this word salad.”
“I said, ‘OK, well, let’s go back to the thing that I’ve always loved. Let’s use the name that I had protected for a reason that had been sort of under wraps,’” she said.
“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 just really, really helpful to have that quiet period.”
But As Ever faced a whole set of new woes.
Francisca “Xisca” Mora, the mayor of the Mallorcan town of Porreres in Spain, claimed to local outlets that the Duchess of Sussex’s brand logo for As Ever was “an exact copy” of their historic coat of arms.
“I would like to clarify that the Porreres Town Hall, which I represent, has no intention of taking legal action against Ms. Meghan Markle,” Mora told Fox News Digital in a statement. “We consider it to be an unfortunate coincidence.”
“The only thing we ask for is respect for our historical and cultural heritage, such as the emblem of Porreres — an image that identifies us as a town and is part of our local culture,” she added.
At the time, Fox News Digital reached out to a spokesperson for the duchess for comment.
Fox News Digital learned that the logo was a nod to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s home in California where they are raising their two young children. Meghan was also born in California. It’s also understood that it was designed to create a personal emblem and that global searches for registered trademarks were conducted.
Following Meghan’s announcement of As Ever, a New York City-based clothing line, also called As Ever, had to address the confusion over their names on social media.
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“I want to say thank you to all the old friends who know and love our small family brand As Ever, and also say hi to all those that have just become aware we exist,” founder Mark Kolski wrote on Instagram.
“In the last 36 hours there has been an outpouring of support and concern regarding recent events around our namesake brand,” the statement read. “We are aware. We are not affiliated.”
“We are grateful for all the customers coast to coast and worldwide that have supported our venture. We will continue As Ever,” the statement concluded.
“Mistakes happen, but … outside the vision and the early stages of execution is the culpability and accountability to stand in the breach and take responsibility when things go sideways, whether to shareholders or the public,” Eldridge explained.
“Give credit and kudos to your team, but reserve the blame for yourself,” he advised. “Starting a podcast focused solely on the trials and tribulations of being a ‘female founder’ while still avoiding the actual hard things that fall on the shoulders of every founder, rings hollow to viewers and listeners.
“The lack of authenticity and self-awareness has plagued Meghan in every endeavor. The issues surrounding her brand launch – and various attempts to rebrand – only serve to further that impression.”
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In a video announcing the rebranding, Meghan mentioned she had secured the name As Ever in 2022.
Fox News Digital understands that As Ever, which is supposed to be an extension of Meghan’s past lifestyle blog The Tig, will not be designing clothing.
“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,” she explained in her Instagram video announcing the rebranding in February.
“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.”
“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.”
In a People magazine cover story, Meghan admitted that “there are tons of twists and turns – even with the name. I was figuring it out in real time.”
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“I appreciate everyone who gave me the grace to make mistakes and figure it out and also to be forgiving with myself through that,” she shared. “It’s a learning curve.”
