Chinese factory that makes Ivanka Trump clothes cited for low wages, poor conditions

(Image credit: Clemens Bilan - Pool /Getty Images)

last updated 26 April 2017

A day before Ivanka Trump flew to Berlin to talk about empowering women economically, the Fair Labor Association apparel industry monitoring group released an audit of a Chinese clothing factory used by the exclusive maker of Trump's clothing line. The report found that the factory's 80 workers were regularly required to work 57 hours a week, earning between $63 and $70 a week to knit clothes for Trump's contractor, G-III Apparel Group. That wages are low and overtime requirements too high for Chinese law. The audit also found 24 violations of international labor standards at the factory. G-III has held the exclusive license to make Trump's clothes — $158 dresses, $79 blouses — since 1992, The Washington Post reports.

An independent monitoring group, SMT-Global, conducted the two-day audit of the unidentified Chinese G-III factory in October, and the report did not say if the factory was making Ivanka Trump clothes at the time; G-III also makes apparel for Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, and other brands, at factories throughout Asia and South America. Most of Ivanka Trump's clothes are made in China. Since October, G-III factories have shipped more than 110 tons of Ivanka-brand clothes to the U.S. Trump — who has "sought to cast herself as both a champion of workplace issues and a defender of her father's 'buy American, hire American' agenda," The Washington Post says — gave up management in her company but retains sole ownership.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.