Ivanka Trump shuts down her fashion line, cites White House job reason

Ivanka Trump is closing her eponymous fashion line. The US president’s daughter has cited her job in the White House as the reason for the brand’s shutdown.

The privately-held Ivanka Trump brand will be closed down “ASAP” and that its 18 staff members have been told they were being laid off.

“When we first started this brand, no one could have predicted the success that we would achieve. After 17 months in Washington, I do not know when or if I will ever return to the business, but I do know that my focus for the foreseeable future will be the work I am doing here in Washington, so making this decision now is the only fair outcome for my team and partners,” Ivanka said in a statement to Page Six.

The brand’s president, Abigail Klem, said, “I know that this was a very difficult decision for Ivanka and I am very grateful for the opportunity to have led such a talented and committed team. When faced with the most unique circumstances, the team displayed strength and optimism.”

Ivanka began serving in her father Donald Trump’s presidential administration as “senior advisor to the president” in March 2017. The position and her appointment have faced intense criticisms from the public, who still question what the First Daughter really does in the White House.

Her brand has also suffered greatly due to its association with the Trump name and her father’s policies. Since Trump’s inauguration, the fashion line has been dropped by a number of major department stores, including Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus and, most recently, Canada’s Hudson’s Bay. The companies cited the label’s poor performance as reason.

The Ivanka Trump brand has also suffered accusations of stealing designs from other designers and labels. One of those labels, Italian shoe brand Aquazzura, accused Ivanka of stealing some of their designs in March 2016.

However, as Mother Jones has noted, Ivanka’s company has filed a new trademark application in the US as recently as April to cover Ivanka-branded “clothing, namely, undergarments, socks, tights, stockings, sleepwear, headbands, shawls, lingerie and sweatshirts.” There was also a trademark that covers jewellery that was filed shortly before her father’s election and was formally registered in June.

Reactions to Ivanka’s failed business have been brutal on social media.