Eight months ago, Meghan Markle introduced her new venture, American Riviera Orchard, with a flashy video, an Instagram page, and a tantalizing waitlist that had fans eagerly anticipating what might be the most exclusive luxury jam collection of the century. Since then, though, details have been scarce, leaving many to wonder: Is this the beginning of a wellness empire, or is Meghan just playing catch-up with Gwyneth Paltrow’s wildly successful Goop?
It’s no secret that Meghan might have drawn some inspiration from Goop, the wellness brand founded by Gwyneth, which has made headlines for selling everything from $550 quartz necklaces to $66 Yoni eggs designed to enhance orgasms. Given Meghan's history of running a lifestyle blog called The Tig, it's hardly surprising that she’d be eager to replicate Paltrow's success. But the question remains: Does Meghan have the ability to pull off her own empire, or is this merely an attempt to imitate Goop?
Before becoming a duchess, Meghan was busy with The Tig, a blog named after her beloved red wine, Tig Nello. The site covered everything from food and fashion to beauty tips and the occasional feminist manifesto. According to royal expert Tina Brown, Meghan was obsessed with Goop during her Tig days, and was determined to create something equally lucrative. However, Meghan never quite captured Goop's cheeky, wink-wink approach to wellness. While Goop embraced the absurdity of $75 coffee enemas and $200 candles that allegedly smell like a vagina, The Tig remained earnest and far less daring. Meghan focused on personal goals, life lessons, and odd tidbits like how she was trying not to bite her nails anymore, whereas Gwyneth’s brand embraced humor, turning outlandish products into aspirational purchases.
The Tig simply couldn’t generate the same buzz that Goop did. Gwyneth’s brand turned absurdity into a sellable experience, and it ultimately became a $250 million empire. Meghan, on the other hand, seemed to take wellness a bit more seriously, and as a result, the brand lacked the same whimsical charm that made Goop so successful. But now, with American Riviera Orchard, Meghan seems poised to step up her game.
American Riviera Orchard could be the brand Meghan has been waiting to launch—though it’s still unclear just how much we really care about luxury jams. If Meghan plans to offer homeware and jams to the sophisticated masses, she may want to take a cue from Goop and make her products more daring. After all, Gwyneth didn’t build her wellness empire just by selling pretty plates and organic jams to her wealthy friends. She sold a lifestyle, an indulgent experience, and yes, some truly bizarre products that people somehow still bought.
Meghan’s approach, however, appears to be more about making luxury wellness more accessible. A source close to the brand claims that American Riviera Orchard will focus on elevating the everyday, offering affordable, elegant products that encourage socializing with sophistication. Will Meghan’s brand include $50 kale smoothies or a $150 candle that smells like “organic, sustainable wood”? We’ll have to wait and see. But one thing’s clear: Meghan isn’t planning to be as cheeky as Goop. Gwyneth’s approach turned her into the undisputed queen of wellness, all with a heavy dose of humor and irreverence.
But Gwyneth doesn’t seem thrilled about Meghan’s attempts to mirror her wellness empire. Sources suggest that at her exclusive parties, Gwyneth has subtly thrown shade at Meghan, making it known that she’s not impressed with Meghan’s efforts to replicate Goop’s success. While imitation is often considered the sincerest form of flattery, in the competitive world of wellness brands, it’s not always well-received. Gwyneth is making sure that everyone knows that while Meghan may be taking notes from Goop, the original is still very much in the lead.
