Two weeks out from the premiere of her new Netflix show, Meghan Markle announced she’s relaunching her business with a new look and a new name. Here’s what we learned from the Duchess of Sussex’s Instagram post sharing the news on Tuesday.
Meghan Markle reveals new lifestyle brand
Crouched in her garden, sporting jeans and a white button-down, Markle speaks directly to the camera. She tells viewers that she’s ready to spread the word about her new lifestyle venture, As Ever. “‘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 explains in the caption.
“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.”
If you’ve been following Markle since before her Suits days, then you know she’s long been a lifestyle maven. In 2014, she launched her blog The Tig, which she billed as “a hub for the discerning palate – those with a hunger for food, travel, fashion, [and] beauty.” The name for her early blog derived from an Italian wine called Tignanello, which Markle explained helped her truly appreciate and understand vino.
The Tig was shut down in 2017, when she got engaged to Prince Harry, but she decided to launch a new venture last year called American Riviera Orchard. The brand had an Instagram account that just consisted of its logo posted to the grid. Although a spokesperson said in 2024 that the brand would be “everything [Meghan] loves — family, cooking, entertaining and home décor,” American Riviera Orchard’s only product was strawberry jam. The jars were never made available to the public — just sent to some of her friends.
As for what caused the switch-up? She explains in her new video that she thought American Riviera Orchard would be the perfect 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.” The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office told a slightly different story: The agency rejected her application “because the applied-for mark is primarily geographically descriptive.”
Markle said in her video that once Netflix came on as a partner in her business, she decided to run with As Ever, a name she’d secured in 2022.
But never fear, American Riviera Orchard enthusiasts: The duchess assures fans, “Of course there will be fruit preserves. I think we’re all clear at this point that jam is my jam.”
What’s on the As Ever website?
As of press time, the website for As Ever is sparse on info, but it’s got some beautiful imagery: It features a gorgeous shot of the duchess running across lush green grass alongside her daughter, Lilibet. On top are the words “As Ever” scrawled in a loopy script. There’s also a space to “save your seat at the table” — aka, subscribe with your email.
As for what else As Ever might feature? We don’t know much, but Markle did say in her video, “There’s so many other products in my home that I love, and I can’t wait to share it with you.” And Vanity Fair reported that an active U.S. Patent and Trademark Application for As Ever shows applications for products including skin, hair care, and bath soaps; gardening tools; stationery; furniture, household linens, kitchenware, and a whole lot more.
