Ivanka Trump has not had a good couple of years. Thanks to her father and his actions in the Oval Office, she’s regularly made fun of on social media, is a regular target for late night hosts, and, of course, is also the target of protests. One of those protests, a boycott of her fashion line, can wrap up, however, as Trump is shutting down the whole thing.
The shutdown, announced via a statement, claims that it’s due to Ivanka Trump’s ongoing, and equally controversial, role as White House advisor:
“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.”
That motive, however, is widely questioned. The exact popularity or sales of Trump’s clothing line before the election is unclear, but soon after Trump’s inauguration, Nordstrom became the first retailer to drop the Ivanka Trump line, which it stated was purely a business decision over poor sales. Other retailers, such as DSW and Hudson Bay have followed suit, although it appears the products remained available on the websites of many retailers. Perhaps not helping matters was the perception that her line was being quietly relabelled under the brand Adrienne Vittadini and dumped on discount stores.
Another concern was perceived corruption and hypocrisy. Even as her father railed against companies that imported goods made overseas, his daughter (and he himself) were doing exactly that. And when Trump imposed tariffs on foreign goods, it was noted that clothing was spared, meaning Ivanka and her partners wouldn’t have pay tariffs, although rumors she was specifically exempted turned out to be inaccurate.
We may never know the exact story. It’s unlikely Ivanka herself or her partners will disclose it. But those running the boycott are claiming a victory, and Ivanka has little to show to argue against them, especially if she wants to claim the business was thriving.
(via Business Insider)