Meghan Markle will likely make six figures within weeks of officially launching American Riviera Orchard, a brand expert has claimed.
After the Duchess of Sussex, 42, made an explosive return to social media last night where she opened the account for her lifestyle and cooking brand, royal fans have been sent into a frenzy.
And while little information has been released about what American Riviera Orchard will offer, brand expert Hayley Knight says the anticipation for its products and content will stand the business in good stead in its opening months.
She added it ‘wasn’t by accident’ that the Duchess launched the brand on the same day her husband Prince Harry was due to appear via video message at the Diana Legacy Awards, and that by teasing fans with a ‘glimmer’ of information, she was building up anticipation for what the brand will offer.
Hayley also said it ‘makes sense’ that the Duchess has decided to launch a lifestyle brand following the success of competitive A-list brands such as Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop and Kourtney Kardashian’s Poosh, adding that the Duchess ‘wants to place herself among celebrity counterparts’.
The Duchess of Sussex, 42, will ‘make six figures’ within weeks of the first products being released from American Riviera Orchard, a branding expert claims
Speaking to FEMAIL, Hayley said: ‘We have seen in the past, everything Meghan wears, promotes and sells, sells out instantly, and there are websites dedicated to ‘What Meghan wears’ showcasing her brand power.’
She added that Meghan had ‘incredibly strong’ instincts when it comes to PR and marketing, and ‘wouldn’t have launched this if she didn’t think it was going to work’.
So far, little has been shared about what American Riviera Orchard will look like when it officially launches, however Hayley believes it’s safe to assume it will target ‘the mid to upper market’, with Meghan ‘leaning into the brand and her personal style’.
American Riviera Orchard officially launched on Instagram and via a website on Thursday evening
The Duchess’s new lifestyle and cooking brand launched on Instagram last night with a glossy Instagram video
Hayley predicted: ‘I’m sure we can expect homely, yet stylish, unique, modern designs for the stylish and modern home, with undertones of spirituality and mindfulness.’
The brand expert admitted it’s difficult to tell how much the Duchess will make from American Riviera Orchard because no products nor prices have yet been released.
However she predicted: ‘Meghan will certainly see success quickly once the store is launched. We have seen with previous celebrity launches, that the demand is incredibly high, and products sell quickly.’
She added Meghan will likely move on to selling her ‘own range’ of products that she will claim to use herself, which will be ‘a hot selling point’.
‘I can’t imagine Meghan will make less than six figures within the first few weeks of opening, if not in the first week if the company sells globally,’ she said.
In terms of brand collaborations on social media, Hayley said it’s unlikely Meghan will make money through paid partnerships because the Sussexes will likely only use social media to promote the brand, rather than return to platforms with their own accounts.
However she added: ‘However, there is a chance she could do interviews, and IG lives with other people within the industry, and if they’re paid opportunities, she can gain upwards of $1M per post.’
American Riviera Orchard was launched on Instagram and via its new website on Thursday night with a slick video to accompany the brand, which featured Meghan in her kitchen mixing batter in a bowl.
Another frame showed her picking plush roses from a posy.
Insiders told the Daily Mail the business was set to be a ‘lifestyle and cooking brand’ which would focus on things Meghan holds dear.
It is fitting that the Duchess’s venture will feature cooking and food, which is something she has shown a passion for in the past.
In 2018 when she was living in the UK as a working royal, Meghan bonded with survivors of the Grenfell Tower fire when she joined a community kitchen in the area and had no qualms with pitching in to help create meals.
The Sussexes’ explosive Netflix series revealed Meghan stays in touch with the community today, despite now living in California.
The Duchess has also previously contributed recipes to charity cookbooks – including a lemon cake in The World Central Kitchen Cookbook: Feeding Humanity, Feeding Hope, which was published last year.
Brand expert Emily Austen advised Meghan ‘removing herself from the brand’.
‘It should come as no surprise that Meghan Markle has jumped on the wellbeing brand train, despite her apparent dislike of neutral tones throughout her time in the UK,’ she told FEMAIL.
‘Meghan and Harry as a couple have encouraged a family first narrative, and Meghan has dabbled in kitchen based brand moments, such as her cookbook; Together. She famously awoke at 5am to practise yoga in Buckingham Palace, and wrote in The Tig (her former blog and lifestyle website) about taking Ashwaganda in the early days of her relationship with Harry to keep her calm.
‘The LA, clean living aesthetic has been thoroughly thought out by wellness titans such as Jessica Alba, Gwyneth Paltrow and Poosh. Less than 24 hours after her new brand announcement, the dedicated Instagram page had just shy of 350,000 new followers, although nothing yet in the way of product teasers.
‘Instagram is a hugely lucrative platform for celebrities, and it has been widely predicted by brand experts that Meghan would find her way back to it. In the US particularly, homeware as a category has exploded, more so since Covid. Baking, tablescaping, flower arranging, and other, wholesome, home activities have dominated social media, and become lucrative additions to high street retailers, such as Zara and H&M.
‘Meghan is a divine character and public opinion lands differently depending on your geography. The success of her brand will likely hinge on the positioning of the products and the price point. The initial branding does suggest that it leans to the higher end of cost for these products. The market is incredibly competitive with many brands taking ownership over specific categories, rather than the whole home. Success stories include Our Place, recently collaborating with Selena Gomez. Markle can expect to see a lot of initial interest in her brand, but the reality of achieving long term success will require considerably more than a press release and a sneak peak on Instagram.
‘It is understood that Meghan will be selling her own products on the website, rather than other brands, but can expect to see much interest from brand collaborations and partnerships. This will provide large fees, however, will also dilute the purity of message on her own brand. My advice, which I shall give despite not being asked, would be to remove Meghan as much as possible from the imagery and the brand.
‘Whatever your thoughts about her, she is incredible divisive and not widely liked. It’s risky to integrate yourself so intrinsically with a brand given the relationship she has with the public.
‘I’d also change the name – it’s hard to spell, long winded and looks like a wedding invitation for a country club. Perhaps she got the inspiration from sitting in the Rosewood in Montecito, which also has a permanent Goop store on site…
‘Celebrity is no doubt an enormous driver of short term success; Kylie Cosmetics, Skims, Hailey Bieber’s Rhode. However, it doesn’t guarantee long term success. Celebrities such as these can earn millions of pounds from posting on social media, and drive huge sales as a result of their cult following.
‘In order for Meghan to make money from Instagram, she will need an engaged, interested audience, with purchasing power. A product that actually is needed, strong imagery and messaging that actually connects with those viewing it, rather than inauthentic posturing.
‘I wouldn’t expect a business like this to see a profit certainly in the first 12 months, but it is unclear at this time whether there has been any external investment, who is actually running the business, or what the launch plan is, eg. D2C through to website.
‘A smart move would be to collaborate with the established people in this space, to ensure an audience share, and to enhance credibility. Whether or not others would be up for this, remains to be seen,’ she added.
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