Written by Jessica Taylor Mailonline
21:08 March 14, 2024, Updated 21:18 March 14, 2024
As the Duchess of Sussex launches her new business, American Riviera Orchard, and makes a sensational return to social media, she's entering the rather crowded field of lifestyle gurus.
Meghan, 42, a mother of two, launched the Montecito-based brand's website and Instagram account after months of speculation about what her new venture would be. Raised.
A source told the Daily Mail that Meghan's new business will be a “lifestyle and culinary brand” centered around her passions.
Duchess Meghan has extensive experience in this subject, having run her lifestyle blog The Tig from 2014 until 2017, when she got engaged to Prince Harry.
This hugely popular website, which the Duchess ran alongside her appearance on the legal drama Suits, chronicles her travels, provides food and fashion recommendations, and features celebrity There was also a guest post from a friend of .
But as Meghan prepares to make a fresh start in the lifestyle field, she will be up against some of the movement's giants, long established in the field and with big names behind them.
So how does American Riviera Orchard compare to its rivals? FEMAIL checks out the competition…
goop
In an interview with The Independent last year, Omid Scobie spoke briefly about Meghan's plans to return to the lifestyle, but stopped short of comparing her brand to Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop.
Instead, he said, Meghan is focusing on being more “accessible,” which may account in part for Goop's hefty price tag.
The author states, “I am not intentionally being mysterious.'' I always think about Goop, and when I suggest it to people who know something about it, they say, “No, this isn't about selling products.” So who knows? Who's the next Martha Stewart?
Founded by Paltrow in 2008, Goop sells lifestyle and wellness products, has a clothing line, and also offers beauty and skin care products.
But prices aren't cheap, with Goop selling clothing for hundreds of dollars each.
Although Goop appears to have been largely successful in the 15 years since its launch, it has stirred up some controversy.
Shortly after its founding, the brand paid $145,000 in civil damages after claiming that rose quartz and jade “eggs” made to be inserted into the vagina may have health benefits. agreed.
The fine was imposed after a special committee investigation said some of Goop's health claims were unsubstantiated.
Paltrow also faced criticism when she launched a candle called “This Smells Like My Vagina,” which quickly sold out.
Compared to Gope, Meghan's lifestyle brand appears to be more focused on food and drink, and perhaps more affordable, as Scobie revealed that she aims to make things “accessible” to people. There is a possibility that it will become.
martha stewart
Mr Scobie resisted comparing Meghan's brand to Paltrow's, instead citing comparisons with American businesswoman Martha Stewart, whose brand was founded in 1976 when she launched a catering business. It started in .
A series of cookbooks, cooking shows, and products followed, which together formed her eponymous brand, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia.
The company is a diversified media and merchandising company that serves as the business woman's umbrella for all aspects of her business.
Stewart has long been known as a lifestyle guru thanks to her content that provides people with recipes, DIY and crafting tips, and advice on wedding planning.
Her website includes a blog with shopping recommendations for kitchenware and clothing.
Stewart's magazine Martha Stewart Living maintains an editorial team of seven, led by Allie Giordano as general manager.
Martha's lifestyle career began in the kitchen. It's a place close to Meghan's heart as she bonded over cooking with survivors of the Grenfell Tower disaster when she was still a working royal.
She also contributes recipes to charity cookbooks, and last year published her recipe for lemon cake in The World Central Kitchen Cookbook: Nourishing Humanity, Nourishing Hope.
As Meghan Markle's new lifestyle brand takes shape and Scobie suggests she could become a 'second Martha Stewart', perhaps American Riviera Orchard could become a rival in the lifestyle space will be taking notes.
Editorial department
90210 actress Tori Spelling is another celebrity who jumped on the lifestyle blogging train in 2011.
In an interview with Look to the Stars, Tori, who was pregnant with her third child at the time, outlined plans for a website that overlapped with many of Martha Stewart's content pillars.
She explained: “The idea for this site came from my desire to share ideas and inspiration to improve your daily life.
“From fashion, crafts, home decor, cooking, parenting to relationships, we share ideas, tips, advice, and how-tos to help you live a more inspired life.”
Alongside this, Tori also launched a shopping site called InvenTORI, where readers can purchase items for their homes.
Tori first blogged about her fourth pregnancy, but later told People that she had glossed over some of the complications she faced with her son, Finn.
In 2012, Tori was diagnosed with placenta previa (a condition in which the placenta covers the cervix, causing internal bleeding) at 20 weeks after birth.
The star was rushed to hospital and underwent 10 weeks of treatment, followed by four months of bed rest and almost had her pregnancy terminated to save her life.
She explained: “What was difficult was [blogging is] I'm very open to everyone because it's a very personal thing.
“I'm writing about Stella's fourth birthday, and no one knows that I'm in a hospital bed.”
Tori has been at the forefront of celebrity blogging, but editorial has shrunk considerably in recent years.
There are currently no recipes available under “Cooking” and the “Home”, “Style” and “Entertainment” sections have also been cleared.
jessica's world
Alongside her singing and acting career, Jessica rose to fame on MTV's hit series Newlyweds, which also starred her ex-husband Nick Lachey.
However, Bloomberg credits her with being the original “influencer” as a result of her hugely popular fashion range in the 1990s, which was the first celebrity line to generate $1 billion in sales. became.
Explaining how they knew they were close to a winning formula, Jessica said, “People would come in wearing shawls.” [like the one she wore in Newlyweds].
“And everyone was definitely wearing juicy sweats.”
In 2018, Jessica Simpson added “Jessica's World” to her website, making the leap into lifestyle blogging, but it hasn't had the same success as her fashion career.
The star's posts included highlights from family gatherings and events she attended in her hometown of Nashville.
Like Lauren Conrad before her, the singer also hired a team to write most of her blog's content, including TV recommendations, gift guides, and beauty articles.
Following Martha Stewart's culinary crown, the star shared guest posts from food bloggers and created a shop for readers to browse.
However, unlike Martha and Gwyneth's website, Jessica's blog is updated on average once a month, and the star makes little effort to promote her posts, focusing instead on her range of outfits. Masu.
Chrissy Teigen
Chrissy Teigen's cooking brand, which recently expanded into loungewear, started with the model and mother of four showing off her cooking skills on social media.
She also had the role of food stylist on Tyra Banks' daytime show FABLife from 2015 to 2016.
The businesswoman, who is married to John Legend, published her first Cravings cookbook in 2016, which became a bestseller.
A few years later, she followed suit and her second Cravings book, Hungry For More, also hit the bestseller list.
In the same year, 2018, she launched the first-ever Cravings cookware line, which was stocked at Target.
The collaboration lasted three years until 2021, when the store stopped selling Teigen products. Both the model and the store said it was a “mutual decision.”
But the Cravings line is still around, with Teigen branching out into loungewear and robes last year.