Meghan Markle described the original name of her lifestyle brand as “word salad,” echoing a criticism tabloid newspapers have made of her for years.
The Duchess of Sussex released the latest episode of her new podcast Confessions of a Female Founder on Tuesday, and it featured an interview with her close friend Kadi Lee, a hair colorist and co-founder of Highbrow Hippie.
Meghan told Lee about her decision to drop “American Riviera Orchard” as the name for her lifestyle brand, which she relaunched at the start of the year under the new name “As Ever.”
Meghan Markle visits the Nigerian Defence Headquarters, in Abuja, on May 11, 2024, during a visit to the country.
Meghan Markle visits the Nigerian Defence Headquarters, in Abuja, on May 11, 2024, during a visit to the country.
KOLA SULAIMON/AFP via Getty Images
Why It Matters
Meghan’s use of the phrase “word salad” is interesting as it is the exact phrase that British tabloid newspapers have repeatedly used to describe her public statements dating back years.
The duchess has at points had a strong reaction to hostile coverage she received from the U.K. press, and at some points in her story, reusing a criticism popularized by newspapers like the Daily Mail would have been unthinkable.
On one reading, Meghan may be communicating that she feels comfortable and confident enough in her own brand that she no longer feels the need to fight hostile characterizations of her.
Alternatively, it could be a sign she has taken on board some of the criticisms and accepted she could do better than the original name.
What to Know
“I had secured As Ever as a name in 2022, and then as everything started to evolve last year, and bringing in a partner the size that it was, and it was just so interesting,” Meghan said on the podcast.
“Because 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.’
“I was like, ‘OK, well let’s go back to the thing that I’ve always loved. Let’s use the name that I protected for a reason that had been sort of under wraps.’
“And then 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 is a developing story and will be updated.