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.

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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."

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Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.