Meghan Markle will ‘make six figures’ within weeks of launching American Riviera Orchard, brand experts claim – adding it was ‘no coincidence’ the glossy lifestyle business launched at the same time as the Diana Legacy Awards

Meghan Markle is likely to make six figures within weeks of officially launching American Riviera Orchard, a brand expert claims.

After the 42-year-old Duchess of Sussex’s explosive return to social media last night, where she opened the account for her lifestyle and cooking brand, royal fans have gone into panic mode.

And while little information has been released about what American Riviera Orchard has to offer, brand expert Hayley Knight says the anticipation for the products and content will serve the company well in the early months.

She added that it was “not coincidental” 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, teasing fans with a “glitter” of information , she built anticipation for what the brand has to offer.

Hayley also said it “makes sense” that the Duchess has decided to launch a lifestyle brand following the success of rival A-list brands such as Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop and Kourtney Kardashian’s Poosh, adding that the Duchess “wants to position herself among celebrity counterparts places’ .

Speaking to FEMAIL, Hayley said: ‘We have seen in the past that everything Meghan wears, promotes and sells out immediately, and there are websites dedicated to ‘What Meghan Wears’ demonstrating her brand power.”

She added that Meghan had “incredibly strong” instincts when it came to PR and marketing, and “wouldn’t have launched this if she didn’t think it would work.”

So far, little has been shared about what American Riviera Orchard will look like when it officially launches, but Hayley thinks it’s safe to assume it will target “the mid-to-upper market,” with Meghan’ leans on the brand and her personal style’. .

Hayley predicted: ‘I’m sure we can expect homely, yet stylish, unique, modern designs for the stylish and contemporary home, with undertones of spirituality and mindfulness.’

The branding expert admitted that it is difficult to say how much the Duchess will earn from the American Riviera Orchard as no products or prices have been released yet.

But she predicted: ‘Meghan will definitely see rapid success once the store launches. We have seen in previous celebrity launches that demand is incredibly high and the products sell quickly.”

She added that Meghan will likely start selling her “own range” of products that she claims she will use herself, which will be “a popular selling point.”

“I can’t imagine Meghan making less than six figures within the first few weeks of opening, if not in the first week of selling globally,” she said.

As for brand collaborations on social media, Hayley said Meghan is unlikely to make money through paid partnerships, as the Sussexes will likely only use social media to promote the brand, rather than returning to platforms with their own accounts.

However, she added, “There’s a chance she could do interviews, though, and IG lives with other people in the industry, and if they get paid opportunities, she could make over $1 million per post.”

American Riviera Orchard was launched on Instagram and via the new website on Thursday evening with a slick video for the brand, in which Meghan mixed batter in a bowl in her kitchen.

Another frame showed her picking plush roses from a posy.

Insiders told the Daily Mail that the company would become a “lifestyle and cooking brand” that would focus on things Meghan holds dear.

It’s fitting that the Duchess’s venture includes cooking and food, something she has shown a passion for in the past.

In 2018, while living in Britain as a working royal, Meghan bonded with Grenfell Tower fire survivors when she joined a community kitchen in the area and had no qualms about helping out preparing meals.

The Sussexes’ explosive Netflix series revealed that Meghan remains in touch with the community today, despite now living in California.

The Duchess has also previously contributed recipes to charity cookbooks, including a lemon tart in The World Central Kitchen Cookbook: Feeding Humanity, Feeding Hope, published last year.

Brand expert Emily Austen advised Meghan to ‘remove herself from the brand’.

“It should come as no surprise that Meghan Markle has jumped on the wellness brand bandwagon, despite her apparent aversion to neutral tones during her time in Britain,” she told FEMAIL.

“Meghan and Harry have encouraged a family story as a couple, and Meghan has delved into kitchen-based brand moments, such as her cookbook; Together. She famously woke up at 5am to practice yoga at 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 through by wellness titans like Jessica Alba, Gwyneth Paltrow and Poosh. Less than 24 hours after her new brand announcement, the dedicated Instagram page had just under 350,000 new followers, although there were no product teasers yet.

“Instagram is a hugely lucrative platform for celebrities, and it is widely predicted by brand experts that Meghan will find her way onto it. In the US in particular, the home goods category has exploded, especially since Covid. Baking, table decorating, flower arranging and other healthy household activities have dominated social media and become lucrative additions to high street stores such as Zara and H&M.

“Meghan is a divine character and public opinion lands differently depending on your geographical location. The success of her brand will likely depend on the positioning of the products and the price. The initial branding suggests that the price point for these products is trending towards the higher end. The market is incredibly competitive, with many brands taking ownership of specific categories, rather than the entire house. Success stories include Our Place, which recently collaborated with Selena Gomez. Markle can expect a lot of interest in her brand initially, but the reality of achieving long-term success will take considerably more than a press release and an Instagram sneak peak.

‘It is understood that Meghan will be selling her own products on the website, rather than other brands, but she can expect to see a lot of interest from brand collaborations and partnerships. This will come at a high cost, but will also dilute the purity of the message about its own brand. My advice, which I will give despite not being asked, would be to remove Meghan from the visual language and brand as much as possible.

“Whatever you think about her, she is incredibly divisive and not universally loved. It’s risky to integrate yourself so intrinsically with a brand, given the relationship it has with its audience.

‘I would also change the name; it’s hard to spell, long-winded and looks like a country club wedding invitation. Maybe she got the inspiration from sitting in the Rosewood in Montecito, which is also home to a permanent Goop store…

‘Celebrity is without a doubt a huge driver of short-term success; Kylie Cosmetics, Skims, Rhode by Hailey Bieber. However, it does not guarantee long-term success. Celebrities like these can make millions of pounds from posting on social media, and generate huge sales as a result of their cult status.

“For Meghan to make money on Instagram, she needs an engaged, interested audience, with purchasing power. A product that is really needed, powerful images and messages that actually connect with those who look at it, instead of an inauthentic attitude.

‘I wouldn’t expect a company like this to make a profit certainly in the first twelve months, but it is unclear at this stage whether there has been any external investment, who actually runs the company and what the launch plan is. e.g. D2C through to website.

‘A smart move would be to partner with the established people in this space, to ensure audience share and increase credibility. Whether or not others are up for this remains to be seen,” she added.