GRAZIA
The American Riviera Orchard Instagram account was launched with retro jazz, dreamy shots of Meghan and a classy logo – but what can we really expect from the latest celebrity luxe brand?
IN MID-MARCH, at the peak of speculation over the wellbeing of the Duchess of Cambridge, a new profile on Instagram pulled attention in an entirely unexpected direction. The account @american rivieraorchard launched with six bombshell words: ‘By Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex’.
Little information has been given so far by the account – or on its website, americanriviera.com – other than an image of white linen embroidered with the name American Riviera Orchard and a logo in golden calligraphy. A video posted in the account’s stories showed glimpses of Meghan baking, arranging flowers and standing dreamily in a ballgown, with a soundtrack of Nancy Wilson’s 1960 jazz song, I Wish You Love.
It then emerged that Meghan has filed trademark applications for the brand, including jellies, jams, marmalades, cookbooks, tablecloths, stationery, fragrance sachets, bath salts, shower gels, hair products, moisturisers, body oil, yoga mats and pet shampoo. Even with scant details, it’s clear a lifestyle brand is afoot.
Goop is the blueprint for celebrity-fronted retailers focusing on luxurious domestic life, and Meghan and Harry apparently had dinner with its founder, Gwyneth Paltrow, and her husband Brad Falchuk (and other friends) last May. The get-together prompted speculation that Paltrow may have shared advice, but those in the know say that Meghan has paid much more attention to the brand Flamingo Estate, owned by Australian-born Richard Christiansen, who once ran a creative agency.
Flamingo Estate has a similarly wholesome, upmarket feel, selling $80 jams and $40 soaps made with ingredients produced at Christiansen’s stunning house and garden (with, yes, orchards) in California. American publication Puck reported that Meghan had several meetings with the team in 2022 and had hoped to become ‘an active partner’ in the brand; she’s said to have been given an in-depth understanding of how the business operates. Now that the deal has apparently fallen through, it’s speculated that she’s putting that research into practice as she launches independently.
Meghan and Harry have been trying to establish their income since 2020, when they ceased to be working members of the royal family. Their high-profile ventures have included an £80m Netflix contract, which comes to an end next year. A documentary series about their personal story became one of the platform’s most-watched of all time, but their other shows – one on the Invictus Games and another about world leaders – made less impact. Meanwhile, a now-dissolved $20m deal with Spotify resulted in only 12 episodes of Meghan’s Archetypes podcast. Spotify
