So Many Thoughts on the As Ever Launch

My take on the Duchess of Sussex’s first drop, the special touches I spotted on the product packaging, and insights from Meghan’s earliest shoppers.

meghan

A post shared by @meghan

The Duchess of Sussex dropped her first batch of As Ever products on Wednesday morning. Priced between $12 (for a tin of tea) and $28 (the limited-edition honey), the eight launch offerings sold out in under an hour.

Congratulations to those of you who managed to snag something! In the early morning hours (the site went live at 6am here on the West coast) my pre-coffee self did not clock how competitive this shopping situation would be. In the words of Julia Roberts: Big mistake. Huge. I should have clicked “Add to cart” but instead I spent too much time percolating on the pricing. Lucky for me, an As Ever box arrived Wednesday afternoon (more on how that happened below), with seven of the products — including the flower sprinkles, meep — and a note from Meghan saying simply, “Enjoy.”

eholmes

A post shared by @eholmes

I must admit that I HAVE NOT TRIED ANY OF IT YET. Not even the jam! 🫠 I know, I know. (This is who I have always been — I was the kid who saved her stickers on the sheet rather than peel them off with abandon.) I want to savor the assortment for a moment, before rushing into a taste test.

Below, so many thoughts on this whirlwind first drop, including:

• A look at how it all went down on Wednesday (what I think worked and what could be tweaked for next time) as well as how that box arrived at my door.

• My take on the As Ever packaging. We know from With Love that Meghan cares deeply about how a platter is presented — the same now goes for her new tins, boxes, and jars (which we saw in this video). After my initial unboxing, I took a closer look and spotted five very thoughtful touches, the kind that feel very “Meghan.”

• Keep scrolling for insights from As Ever shoppers. So many of you responded to my Instagram request to hear more of the customer experience! Thank you for your insights and your suggestions for future drops, too.

But mostly: Why does any of this matter? This is a new chapter for Meghan. Launching a product line is a direct way to interact with the public, forming a much more intimate (and I would say higher stakes) relationship than watching a television show. There is an exchange of money and goods, with expectations on both sides. It’s a big deal!

Did you shop the As Ever launch? I would love to hear about it! Click below to share in the comments. And make sure to come back when your shipments start arriving — I want to hear your thoughts on how it tastes. (I’ll share mine, too, if I ever open any of it. KIDDING. I will…eventually. 😉)

Recreating Meghan’s ‘With Love’ Fashion

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So Many Thoughts on the Arrival of As Ever

Shortly after the release of With Love, Meghan someone from Netflix asked for my mailing address. A bit later, another person from the As Ever brand reached out with the same question. “Manifesting the jam!” I texted more than one friend.