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The Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, recently opened up about renaming her brand, As Ever. During her April 22 episode of her Confessions of a Female Founder podcast, the former Suits star claimed that the original name was "word salad." This is why she changed it from American Riviera Orchard to As Ever.
She further stated that she had been working on American Riviera Orchard for two years before it went public. Reflecting on the process, she said:
“Then as everything started to evolve last year, and bringing in a partner the size that it was, it was just so interesting.”
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In reference to her collaboration with Netflix, the host shared her original vision for the brand with podcast guest Kadi Lee. She explained:
“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.”
On the other hand, as per People Magazine’s March 3, 2025, report, when Meghan was not fully satisfied with the original name, American Riviera Orchard. She revealed that she "didn't really love it" and described it as having turned into a "word salad."
As a result, she decided to change direction. Meghan stated:
“I said, ‘Okay, 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’.”
Meghan Markle talked more about what led her to rename her brand
Just weeks before the debut of her Netflix series, With Love, Meghan, Meghan Markle was compelled to rename her lifestyle business. She discussed the same with guest Kadi Lee in a recent episode of the Confessions of a Female Founder podcast.
Markle stated that after deciding to rebrand her business, she was able to work on As Ever in private. The duchess clarified:
“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.”
This wasn’t the first time Meghan Markle talked about the reason behind renaming her brand. After a string of trademark-related issues, the former actress acknowledged in an Instagram video on February 18 that she had to rename American Riviera Orchard to As Ever.
Markle added that she decided to return to what she had always cherished and guarded. She then continued:
“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.”
After acknowledging that her company's launch, initially revealed in March 2024, had generated a lot of interest, Meghan Markle shared:
“Last year, I had thought, ‘You know what? 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.”
Meanwhile, in the same exclusive interview with People, before the launch of her podcast, she talked about the process of renaming her business. She explained that there were many unexpected developments along the way. She shared:
“There are tons of twists and turns — even with the name. I was figuring it out in real time.”
She added:
“I appreciate everyone who gave me the grace to make mistakes and figure it out and also to be forgiving with myself through that.. It’s a learning curve.”
She admitted that, despite starting in the kitchen as usual, Meghan Markle intends to grow the company to include home décor. Additionally, there are plans to launch new products on a seasonal basis, branching out from culinary goods into home and hospitality products.
Meghan Markle rebranded herself shortly before the premiere of her Netflix series, With Love, Meghan, which was later renewed for a second season. On the other hand, early this month, Confessions of a Female Founder was released, more than three years after the debut of her short podcast Archetypes.
