Meghan Markle Reveals Why She Made That Major Pivot—& It's Not What I Expected

Running a business isn’t for the faint of heart—and yes, that includes when you’re a duchess. Meghan Markle’s lifestyle brand, which we now know as As Ever, has already made waves. But before the polished launch and instant sellout, the brand was initially introduced under a different name: American Riviera Orchard. Naturally, fans had questions about the sudden rebrand—and now, Meghan’s giving us answers straight from the source.

On the latest episode of her podcast, Confessions of a Female Founder, Meghan opened up about the journey behind the name change while chatting with her friend and celeb hair colorist Kadi Lee (of Highbrow Hippie salon fame). She revealed that As Ever had actually been secured back in 2022. But as things grew—especially with a major business partner joining the picture—the direction began to shift.

“I liked ‘American Riviera’ as a sort of umbrella,” Meghan shared. “And then the idea was to keep ‘Orchard’ really small underneath it. But when that wasn’t feasible, it became this whole word salad. And I didn’t love that so much.”

Eventually, she pivoted back to what had always felt right. “I said, ‘Let’s use the name I protected for a reason,’” she explained, adding that the team was finally able to focus, quietly build and avoid outside noise.

ICYMI: Meghan’s original trademark application for American Riviera Orchard was reportedly rejected by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in September 2024—largely due to the use of a geographic location and broad product descriptions, per The Telegraph.