Meghan Markle is finally addressing the recent buzz around her lifestyle brand’s name change — and setting the record straight. In the latest episode of her podcast Confessions of a Female Founder, released on April 22, the Duchess of Sussex opened up about the rebranding of her lifestyle venture from American Riviera Orchard to As Ever.
The episode featured guest Kadi Lee, founder of Highbrow Hippie, and offered a rare behind-the-scenes look at Meghan’s branding journey. The former Suits star revealed that the original name didn’t sit well with her, and the pivot had been in the works for quite some time.
“I had secured As Ever as a name in 2022, and then as everything started to evolve last year, bringing in a partner the size that it was, it was just so interesting,” Meghan explained.
She elaborated on the initial vision for the brand’s name, saying, “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.”
Instead, Meghan chose to go with the name she had “protected,” which she said had “sort of been under wraps.”
She emphasized the importance of keeping things low-key while building the brand. “We just kind of put our heads down, no one was sniffing around,” she said.
Reflecting on the evolution of her business journey, the mom of two shared that the “quiet period” was crucial after “spending so many years working on something, building it, and the pivots that you had to take with it.”
In February 2025, Meghan officially unveiled As Ever in a selfie-style video message that quickly made headlines. The brand’s first collection of curated lifestyle products launched on April 2 and sold out within an hour.
With As Ever, Meghan is not only crafting a personal brand but also reclaiming creative control in a space that clearly means a lot to her. The rebrand, while unexpected to some, appears to have been a carefully thought-out move — one she’s been planning since 2022.
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