Did American Riviera Orchard fail before it could take off?

Publicity still for her upcoming Netflix series Love, Meghan. Photo: Netflix

By Mao Shan Wang

The lifestyle of the rich and famous, I gather: You launch a brand and then you let it fizzle out, and put out another. Meghan Markle has announced that she will morph her earlier label to another, this time in collaboration with Netflix as a “partner”. She appeared in a cringey, deliberately amateurish video—hair pulled back, in a white linen shirt and a pair of bright blue jeans—and shared on Instagram: “Last year, I had thought, American Riviera (Orchard)—that sounds like such a great name. It’s my neighbourhood; it’s a nickname for Santa Barbara, but it limited me to things that were just manufactured and grown in this area.” It is hard not to consider that, perhaps, it is Ms Markle who is limited. What do we remember about “American Riviera” (which today sounds particularly Trumpian) other than that bottle of groundbreaking strawberry jam?

So Ms Markle, with her inimitable marketing flair, decided to put American Riviera Orchard through a reboot. The ten-syllable name is now, I see, reduced to a three: As Ever. A total re-branding, it seems. A minimalist moniker, compared to the mouthful former. The problem is, As Ever, is already an existing fashion brand. Founded in 2017 by Mark Kolski, the womenswear label As Ever NYC (the full name) offers clothing inspired by and made from American workwear and traditional quilting, pieces that Mr Markle herself would be drawn to. Mr Kolski described his business to the US media as “a family-run operation… a one man band”. The clothes, as the designer-owner revealed in an IG post to thank his supporters in the wake of Ms Markle’s IG announcement, are made in New York and New Jersey. And he thinks it would be hard for him to challenge a noted figure such as Ms Markle, who is backed by media giant Netflix, but he is seeking legal counsel. The poor guy.

It is hard not to consider that, perhaps, it is Ms Markle who is limited

I would be relieved to say that that was the only problem Ms Markle stirred for herself. But it isn’t the last of the 43-year-old’s brand-name woes. There is also the logo. As soon as she announced the new moniker, two weeks before her show With Love, Meghan will air on Netflix, half way across the globe, in Majorca, it was noted that As Ever’s logo looks as if it was modelled after the heraldic coat of arms of the municipality of Porrers. In both, there is a palm tree, flanked by two birds in flight. The mayor Xisca Mora wasted no time in disapproving the version Ms Markle has employed for her As Ever, pointing out that the Mallorcan town’s own dates back to 1370. “We don’t like our cultural heritage being used this way, and we want them to stop using the logo,” the American media has quoted her. Ms Mora also stated that they are not financially blessed enough to take legal action.

I don’t know if it is ill luck or just her deep ignorance of the business world that has prevented her ventures to take off, from a branding standpoint. This isn’t the first time Meghan Markle has chosen a name for her “lifestyle” enterprise that yielded no desired results. Last September, her attempt to register American Riviera Orchard was reportedly turned down by the US Patent and Trademark Office. Businesses cannot, I learned, trademark geographical locations. Apparently, Santa Barbara is popularly known as American Riviera. I wouldn’t know; I am not from there. And then there are the pear growers Harry and David from Oregon, who claimed that the name is too similar to their Royal Riviera pears. If all of that isn’t embarrassing for a brand that was yet to launch, I don’t know what is. Setbacks, it seems, just love to follow the ex-royal.

The homepage of Meghan Markle’s renamed business, with the problematic name and logo. Screen shot: as ever.com

It is hard to tell if it is Meghan Markle or someone from her branding team who isn’t very original. Or has no creative muscle to flex. I was not expecting a clever, punchy name from her, but neither was I looking forward to those that women of means but no imagination prefer—phrases that give the impression of a glamourous life in eternal sunshine. Ms Markle augmented that in the main visual used on her website, showing herself—in a sundress, no less—and her daughter running through what could be the verdant grounds of her expensive house in sunny Montecito. And Mindy Kaling, appearing in the trailer for With Love, Meghan, seconded that when she described the time spent in the kitchen with her friend, “one of the most glamorous moments of my life.” Marketers will call that aspirational, too. But for how long has Ms Markle lived this vision of domestic perfection, impeccability, and fulfilment that she can really and convincingly inspire? I always sense that she has a rather potted view of the world, and it is from this constriction that she considered launching a brand with strawberry jam to be brilliant.

It is not clear why Netflix would partner Ms Markle in As Ever other than already producing her show. Would they be selling something through the broadcast, QVC style? I kept thinking: What has she done that can be considered a roaring success? Sure, every budding entrepreneur—even a serial one—deserves a shot at triumph, but given how Ms Markle has not been very good at product creation and branding (especially personal), it remains unclear what she can produce that would be wildly successful. Rather than think of a moniker that would not fire imaginations, Ms Markle could use her own name. But that could be problematic too. Meghan Markle Ceasar Dressing won’t make me dash to Erewhon or Trader Joe’s (I’m assuming they could be eager stockists). To be sure, I am not stoked to talk about Meghan Markle. I admit I do not look up to her. In the trailer for With Love, Meghan, she said, “We’re not in the pursuit of perfection.” (Yes, I know.) Rather, “we’re in the pursuit of joy,” she enthused. But what great delight has she aroused in the lead up to the launch of both brand and show? I don’t know. Do you?