Last week, on April 2, the Duchess of Sussex unveiled her eagerly awaited As Ever brand.
Now, Meghan Markle has voiced her concerns about Donald Trump’s impending international tariffs and how they would affect her company.
Last Monday (2 April), the 43-year-old Duchess of Sussex debuted her As Ever brand, and a number of her items quickly sold out to buyers worldwide.
The 78-year-old Republican leader’s “Liberation Day” speech, during which Trump shared his list of reciprocal tariffs he plans to apply on other countries around the United States, coincided with the launch, nevertheless.
Five days after the tariffs were announced on Monday, April 7, Meghan spoke candidly to Fortune about whether she believes Trump’s divisive economic policies will impact As Ever, a company that sells a limited-edition wildflower honey with honeycomb (worth $28) and a variety of herbal teas ($12 each) with hibiscus, peppermint, and lemon ginger.
She informed the outlet, “At the moment, all of our products are currently made in the US.”
The mother of two continued: “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.”
Meghan also talked about how a recession caused on by the tariff declaration may affect her brand.
“I think during any time of recession, people still want to find creature comforts, items that can bring them joy,” she stated.
With intentions to grow worldwide, As Ever already ships domestically to all 50 states.
Meghan correctly noted that the majority of the brand’s SKUs are under $20, despite some consumers being upset with the brand’s cost, which now ranges from $9 to $28.
“From our standpoint, certainly for me, even in the expansion of the brand, things should still feel accessible.”
As of right now, Meghan is working on more than just her Netflix lifestyle series, which debuted last month (4 March). The first episode of her new podcast, Confessions of a Female Founder, was released yesterday (8 April).
“I’m talking about what I’m going through as I’m going through it, not with reflection after some time, not with that different vision you can have when you think about hindsight 20/20,” she told the news organisation.
“While it created a very, very tight schedule… it just felt like the right move to do the storytelling justice.”