Meghan Markle has been teasing the launch of her lifestyle brand, now called As Ever, for a while now, and Markle finally revealed its product line earlier this week. But while followers of the Duchess of Sussex are just now learning what her brand will offer, Markles fledging business has already faced its fair share of controversy.
In the spring of 2024, Markle dropped the first hint at a potential business in the form of several artisanal jars of jam sent to various celebrity friends, each branded with the name American Riviera Orchard. The next update didn’t arrive until this February, when Markle announced on Instagram that she had scrapped the American Riviera Orchard brand for As Ever. Most recently, in a newsletter mailed to subscribers this Monday, Markle offered some insight into As Evers first product drop, which will include a raspberry spread, wildflower honey, dried flower sprinkles, various teas, and crepe and shortbread mixes.
So far, its unclear when exactly As Evers products will be on sale, how much theyll cost, and whether Markle plans to branch out from food and beverage into other types of lifestyle products. As fans of Markle await these details, fans of the drama are paying attention to several other stories overshadowing As Evers launchincluding a legal dispute over its logo, concerns about the originality of its new name, and critiques around the tone of its marketing.
Heres everything you need to know about the drama surrounding As Ever.
A logo mishap
The strangest controversy thats popped up around As Ever has to do with its logo. The brands emblema white-on-gold line drawing inside an elegant, elongated octagonfeatures a palm tree bookended by two symmetrical hummingbirds. An anonymous source told Vanity Fair that the brand chose the tree as a reference to Markles home in California, while the hummingbirds are a favorite of Markles husband, Prince Harry.
But some outside viewers have been skeptical of the inspiration behind the design. Critics noted that the design looked oddly similar to the historic coat of arms used by Porreres, a small town in Majorca, Spain, since the 1400s. In an interview with The Sun in February, the mayor of Porreres, Francisca Mora Veny, said she was considering legal action against As Ever for the logo (though she went on to admit that she may not be able to afford such a challenge).
The As Ever logo (left) and the Porreres coat of arms (right)
We dont want our coat of arms to be perverted,” Veny said, adding, The only difference with their logo and our coat of arms is that theirs shows two hummingbirds and ours are either swallows or pigeonshistorians cannot agree. In a further statement to the publication El País, she said, Its a total copy.
So far, its unclear whether Veny has reached out directly to Markle, or whether she plans to move forward with a legal dispute.
New name, new challenges
The change of brand name from American Riviera Orchard to As Ever has also drawn some unwanted attention to Markles business.
In her Instagram announcement video, Markle shared that she originally chose “American Riviera” to represent her neighborhood, Santa Barbara, but she found that the title would limit her business to selling items that were manufactured and grown in the area. So, she explained in the video, she opted instead for As Ever, a name that she claimed was secured in 2022.
Based on an application filed to the United States Patent and Trademark Office, Markles team submitted a request for the As Ever trademark on September 17, 2024. Per the document, the application had been approved by the examining attorney but had not yet been published as of March 26.
Since Markle announced the name change back in February, at least two businesses of the same name have come forward to express their surprise. The first is a New York-based clothing brand called As Ever, run by owner Mark Kolski since 2017. Kolski told Vanity Fair that he was surprised not to have received advance notice about Markles brand, but that he didnt plan to make any changes to his own business or to take action against Markle.
If they had intentions of making clothes out of the gate then it could have been a problem, Kolski said. Theyre choosing not to make clothing at this time, but that could change. I have no interest in having any public forum battle against this new venture. Thats not who I am.
Jen Corbett, owner of the company As Ever Photography, has taken a similar stance to Kolski. In an initial Instagram post reacting to Markles branding, she wrote, When one of the most famous people in the world starts using your biz name of 12+ years (that you named in honor of your grandmother), seems like they could throw me a lil bone? However, that post has since been deleted, and Corbett has posted a follow-up story to clarify that, I had a bit of fun posting about Meghan Markle using my biz name, but I am in no way interested in hate mongering against her.
As Ever’s peception problem
Aside from its branding, As Ever is also drawing some backlash for the tone of its marketing.
On As Evers new website, a message to fans notes, As Ever is more than a brandits a love language. And in her newsletter sent to fans this week, Markle explained that her raspberry spreads keepsake packaging could be repurposed to hold “love notes” or “special treasures.
In response to that suggestion, Margaret Hartmann, senior editor at The New Yorker, quipped that Markles latest big idea is rinsing and reusing jam jars. Its a jab that builds on commentary surrounding Markles Netflix show, With Love, Meghan, which was widely criticized for presenting an out-of-touch look at Markles privileged life in Montecito (one particularly harsh review from The Guardian labeled it toe-curlingly unlovable.)
Its difficult to cast a judgment on Markles new brand just yet, considering that its products havent even dropped (though the number of number of issues As Ever has faced with its branding so far does seem concerning for such a new company.) If As Evers luxe look is anything to go by, Markles raspberry spread isn’t going to retail for prices one might find in the grocery storein which case, it doesn’t seem likely that the brand will do much to repair the image of inauthenticity thats plagued Markles other ventures as of late.
