Though President Donald Trump has been playing a game of “will they or won’t they” in his dalliance with potentially catastrophic global tariffs, Meghan Markle isn’t too worried about the impact on her new lifestyle company, As Ever. In an interview with Fortune, the Duchess of Sussex said “we don’t anticipate tariffs affecting us directly,” because As Ever’s products are made in America.
Still, Meghan said she hoped the price point of her debut collection—eight of her nine initial products retailed for less than $15—would help ensure stability in the face of economic headwinds. “But as we look at the larger context of how this is going to affect the consumer day to day, I’m very grateful that in part of the conception of this brand, I wanted to create products that look more prestige, but are more accessible and affordable,” she added. “I think during any time of recession, people still want to find creature comforts, items that can bring them joy.”
At this point, the question is largely theoretical, because As Ever’s initial product offerings sold out within an hour when they were released on April 2. According to Fortune, the company says they sold through inventory of “tens of thousands.” The first slate of products included raspberry preserves, wildflower honey with honeycomb, three herbal teas, crepe mix, cookie mix, and flower petal “sprinkles,” some of which were featured in Meghan’s Netflix show, With Love, Meghan. Last month, Netflix announced that a second season had already been filmed and would air in the fall, and As Ever’s offerings are expected to expand seasonally alongside future episodes.
Meghan has previously said that working alongside Netflix’s Consumer Products Group helped her expand her ambitions for her lifestyle brand. In her conversation with Fortune, she added that sending her homemade jam to Netflix’s chief content officer Bela Bajaria and co-CEO Ted Sarandos as a holiday gift might have gotten With Love, Meghan the greenlight in the first place.
“[Bajaria] said: ‘You need to teach people how to do this,’ and from that moment she was very excited about the possibility of a show,” said Meghan. “And I think because of how savvy my partners are, and certainly business-minded strategically, she said: ‘In addition to a show, you should talk to our consumer products division about a partnership.’”
As Ever’s rollout faced a bit of initial confusion because the brand’s limited edition honey sold out in less than five minutes, leading some orders to be canceled after they were placed. Since that snafu was resolved, the roll out has continued smoothly, with a bevy of Meghan’s famous friends, including Kris Jenner, Chrissy Teigen, Zoe Saldaña, and Mindy Kaling, posting their branded gift baskets to Instagram.
