Meghan Markle Reveals Why She Renamed Her Lifestyle Brand

Meghan Markle has finally shared why she renamed her lifestyle brand to As Ever after trademark issues with its original name, American Riviera Orchard, in the latest episode of her podcast.

Joined by friend and Highbrow Hippie co-founder Kadi Lee, Meghan praised Lee’s success and revealed her investment in the brand.

The podcast also explored Meghan Markle’s experiences as a working mother, caring for sick children, and navigating miscarriage.

In the new episode of her podcast, “Confessions Of A Female Founder,” Meghan shared the behind-the-scenes story of naming her lifestyle brand, As Ever.

Joined by celebrity hair colorist Kadi Lee, Meghan opened up about how the brand’s identity shifted over time, eventually bringing her back to a name she had quietly secured years before.

Originally introduced as American Riviera Orchard last March, the lifestyle brand encountered hurdles during the trademarking process.

As a result, just weeks before the official launch in February, Meghan and her team decided to move forward with As Ever, a name that also marked a new chapter as Netflix joined the venture as a partner.

“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 revealed, per the Daily Mail. “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.”

Meghan shared that the realization about the challenges of naming her brand American Riviera Orchard led her back to the name that had always resonated with her, As Ever.

“I was like, ‘OK, well let’s go back to the thing that I’ve always loved,'” she said. “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.”

Reflecting on the process, Meghan added, “It was just really, really helpful to have that quiet period, which you would know after spending so many years working on something, building it, and the pivots that you had to take with it.”

In the same episode of her podcast, Meghan spotlighted Lee’s entrepreneurial journey, celebrating her achievements as a businesswoman and close friend.

Lee is the co-founder of Highbrow Hippie, a Venice-based salon in Los Angeles known for its luxury and star-studded clientele, including Julia Roberts, Brad Pitt, and Sigourney Weaver.

Last November, Meghan revealed that she had personally invested in Highbrow Hippie, telling InStyle she was “so proud to invest in her as a friend and as a female founder.”

The Duchess also showed her support by attending a launch event for the brand in Venice, where she posed for photos alongside Lee and celebrity hairstylist Serge Normant: the same stylist who did Meghan’s hair for her royal wedding to Prince Harry in 2018.

On the podcast, Meghan praised Lee’s growth, stating: “Look at you now, I mean the name Highbrow Hippie is no longer just a blog and a hair salon, it’s a product line too. You have a hair supplement and hair serum that you just launched last year, and it’s already been named the best hair serum by Oprah Daily.”

During the episode, Meghan spoke warmly about Lee, referring to her as a “dear friend” and praising the growing popularity of her products, adding that people “can’t get enough.”

Their conversation marks the latest installment of Meghan’s new eight-part podcast series with Lemonada Media, which blends “girl talk” with insights on building potential “billion-dollar businesses.”

In last week’s episode, the Duchess opened up about the realities of motherhood and the challenges of managing work and family.

Speaking vulnerably, she shared that during the time of recording, one of her children was recovering from RSV, a common respiratory virus, while the other was down with influenza A.