Ivanka Trump shuts down clothing brand to focus on Washington

The Ivanka Trump brand is coming apart at the seams.

President Trump's daughter and senior adviser is shutting down her namesake fashion brand to focus on her Washington job, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday. The decision isn't unexpected, as Trump has had to restrict her role in the company to avoid conflict with her government role.

Ivanka Trump sales were soaring in the run-up to the presidential election, the Journal says. But after accepting a presidential job, Trump handed over company management to a new president and retained ownership. The brand soon became a symbol for her father's presidency, becoming the subject of boycotts whenever the president attracted massive criticism. That was especially true as the president slammed tariffs on Chinese goods but didn't touch Chinese-made Ivanka Trump products.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Trump fielded attacks herself as she urged businesses to "hire American" in a Journal op-ed, but didn't mention that her products are made overseas. The company doesn't reveal its finances, but online sales at major retailers plummeted by nearly 45 percent in 2017, the Journal says. Nordstrom slashed the brand in February 2017, and Canada's largest department store discontinued it in June after suggesting it wasn't performing well.

On Tuesday, the brand's president told its 18 employees about the impending shutdown. Trump released a statement saying she was unsure if or when she'd return to the business after her time in Washington, prompting her to shutter the brand to focus on D.C. "for the foreseeable future."