MAYBE NEVER?

Meghan Markle Accused of Stealing ‘As Ever’ Name From Chic New York Clothing Brand

The Duchess of Sussex appears to have plunged herself back into trademark issues by choosing the same name as an established clothing business.

After Meghan Markle scrapped her American Riviera Orchard brand without selling a single pot of jam following trademark disputes about the name, it has now emerged that she could have similar problems once again having chosen a brand name that is already in use.

Hip New York clothing brand As Ever thanked customers on Wednesday for their “support and concern,” speaking out after Meghan chose the same name for her jam-to-wellness outfit in a chaotic rebranding of her American Riviera Orchard business on Tuesday.

Customers and supporters have urged “As Ever OG” to sue Meghan and accused the duchess of plagiarism and “not having an original bone in her body.”

Compounding the allegations of plagiarism, it has also emerged that Meghan’s logo for her new company—a palm tree flanked by two birds—bears a striking resemblance to a logo used by a small Spanish village, which has also threatened to take action.

Xisca Mora, the mayor of Porreres, told MailOnline: “They are the same, except the birds are a little different and they used different colors, but they are nearly identical.”

Meghan’s team would not comment on the record to The Daily Beast, however a source said: “The Duchess of Sussex’s brand will not be making clothing.”

A fresh controversy with a small, chic, artisan producer and its fans is the last thing Meghan needs as she tries to recover a sense of authenticity after abandoning the American Riviera Orchard brand.

Meghan said in a video on her Instagram page that she was changing the name because it had “limited” her to using only products sourced locally to the Santa Barbara region for which it is a nickname, but it seems likely that trademark problems have a significant role to play, with other companies, who have already grabbed versions of the American Riviera name, protesting in court.

Consumer marketing expert Warren Johnson of W Communications told the Daily Beast Monday that the last minute name change telegraphed “inauthenticity,” adding, “You wouldn’t catch Kim Kardashian doing this.”

As Ever’s founder Mark Kolski said in an Instagram post that their “small family brand” had seen “an outpouring of support and concern regarding recent events around our namesake brand,” adding, “We are aware. We are not affiliated.”

Meghan said in her video: “Of course, there will be fruit preserves. I think we’re all clear at this point that jam is my jam, but there’s so many more products that I just love that I use in my home and now it’s time to share it with you so I can’t wait for you to see it.”

She also said Netflix was backing As Ever.

An online holding page for As Ever, showing a photo of Meghan and her daughter, appears to have been hastily put together, but there are no items for sale—as yet.

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Tom SykesEuropean Editor at Large

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