Ivanka Trump shuts clothing brand
Ivanka Trump is shutting down her namesake clothing brand because of her work in Washington, she said yesterday, a rare acknowledgement by a Trump family member about the challenges of holding an influential White House position while owning a global business.
In doing so, the president’s daughter and White House senior adviser has gone further than other Trump family members, who have remained active in both business and politics.
She handed over day-to-day operations after her father won the election but continued to own the company – which raised ethical concerns that have dogged enterprises across the Trump empire.
But her brand, founded as a carefree fashion and lifestyle brand for young, professional women, has suffered from how polarising it became during the campaign and her father’s move into the Oval Office, enduring boycotts, lost sales and controversies that saw its goods yanked from many retailers’ shelves.
Yesterday, Trump said her ‘‘focus for the foreseeable future will be the work I am doing here in Washington’’ and called the company’s closure ‘‘the only fair outcome for my team and partners’’.
Company officials said the closure was a reflection of Trump’s deepening commitment to stay in Washington and push her father’s policies.
Ethics experts have long called on the Trumps to separate from their businesses in order to avoid conflicts of interest.
Company spokespeople said she has voiced no interest in reviving the company later on, and Trump said she did ‘‘not know when or if I will ever return to the business’’.
The Ivanka Trump brand, based in New York’s Trump Tower with 18 employees, has suffered recently as retailers, including department-store giant Nordstrom, decided to stop selling its products.
Online sales of Ivanka Trump merchandise at Amazon, Bloomingdale’s, Macy’s and Zappos have dropped more than 55 per cent in the past year, according to data from Rakuten Intelligence.
At the same time, it has endured heavy backlash as a symbol of the president’s policies.
Its dependence on foreign manufacturing – all of its dresses, shoes and handbags were produced in other countries, such as China and Indonesia – stood in contrast to the president’s calls for more products to be made in America.
Trump was also dogged by questions about her reliance on a largely female overseas workforce as she tried to tout American labour and women’s issues.
‘‘Views on the brand have become highly polarised, and it has become a lightning rod for protests and boycotts,’’ said Neil Saunders, managing director of the research firm GlobalData Retail.
‘‘While the company is still viable, doing business has become far more challenging and these problems will only increase.’’ – Washington Post