Meghan Markle's latest brand launch slammed as ‘total rush,’ expert wonders ‘if her hand was forced’

Meghan Markle renamed her lifestyle brand ‘American Riviera Orchard’ to ‘As Ever,' but the rebranding leaked online 24 hours before the official announcement.

A branding expert has criticised Meghan Markle's latest brand launch as a "total rush.” The Duchess of Sussex recently took to Instagram to reveal that she has renamed her lifestyle brand ‘American Riviera Orchard’ to ‘As Ever’. However, the rebranding leaked online 24 hours before Meghan announced the decision on Instagram.

Meghan Markle's latest brand launch slammed as ‘total rush' (Photo by SUZANNE CORDEIRO / AFP)(AFP)

‘You have to wonder if her hand was forced’

A branding expert told MailOnline, “It appears to have been a total rush - despite what Meghan says about As Ever going back to 2022.”

The expert added, “They've clearly had to abandon American Riviera Orchard but recycle all the promos due to the trademark dispute. The leak happened yesterday and you have to wonder if her hand was forced”.

Meanwhile, a different branding commentator told The Daily Beast, "There are only so many relaunches you can do before you start to look ridiculous."

Offering a different perspective, PR expert Mark Borkowski told the Mail, "The more unpredictable she is, the harder it is to take her down. She's not trying to be Goop; she's trying to be a mystery. The product she's selling? Endless curiosity about Meghan Markle."

Opening up on her decision to rebrand, Meghan explained, "Last year, I had thought, 'American Riviera', 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."

Talking about the new name, the Duchess of Sussex said, "'As Ever' essentially means as it's always been, and if you've followed me since 2014 with The Tig, you know I've always loved cooking and crafting and gardening - this is what I do.”

"I haven't been able to share it with you in the same way for the past few years, but now I can, so as things are starting to trickle out there, I wanted you to hear it from me first,” she added.