Meghan Markle’s new lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard, is set to launch in 2022 and the Duchess is rumored to be taking inspiration from Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop.
Meghan Markle has left fans eagerly awaiting the launch of her lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard, which is set to debut in the coming months. The Duchess of Sussex teased the project with a glamorous video, Instagram page, and website eight months ago, but has since kept details under wraps, revealing only a logo and a waitlist sign-up for fans.
However, Royal expert Tina Brown believes Meghan is drawing inspiration from Hollywood star Gwyneth Paltrow’s successful Goop brand, which she reportedly researched extensively in the early stages of her career. Meghan’s trademark applications suggest she plans to sell a range of luxury items, from high-end homeware to gourmet jam.
This isn’t her first foray into the wellness market, as she previously ran a lifestyle blog called The Tig, which featured travel and food recommendations, as well as guest posts from celebrity friends. According to Brown, Meghan became a devoted reader of Goop during her time running The Tig, which she shut down after starting to date Prince Harry.
Brown has praised Paltrow’s “canny” creation of a wellness e-commerce site, which sells items like $550 healing quartz necklaces and $66 yoni eggs for enhanced orgasms. She added: “Although it was much mocked by the highbrow press, Goop attracted an adoring following from millennials and big investment and became a $250million business – and some of the bizarre items have attracted attention, and revenue.”
Gwyneth Paltrow founded lifestyle brand Goop (Image: Getty)
Ms Brown did say that there was no proper comparison between the Tig and Goop, saying: “What The Tig lacked was Paltrow’s sly positioning that she was in on the joke of monetizing eyeballs. The wink-wink sensationalism of Goop’s This Smells Like My Vagina scented candle would never have found itself onto Meghan’s earnestly tasteful Tig.”
Sources have claimed that Meghan might aim to rival Paltrow’s lucrative New Age wellness website, with aspirations of possibly introducing her own food and drink-focused lifestyle brand, named American Riviera Orchard, tipped as an “accessible” option for consumers. The Tig was named after her favorite robust red wine, Tignanello.
Anticipation surrounds a possible May launch next year, potentially aligning with a cooking show Meghan could present on Netflix. The buzz around the brand kicked off in June when dog biscuits and raspberry jam were sent as part of a PR kit to Prince Harry’s polo friend Nacho Figueras.
She even distributed strawberry jams to A-listers including Kris Jenner, Mindy Kaling, and Chrissy Teigen. Now, the Duchess has moved to trademark a variety of hosting and entertaining goods.
