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FARZANA

Published:
2018-07-25 19:45:38 BdST

Ivanka Trump closes fashion brand


FT ONLINE

President Donald Trump's daughter, Ivanka Trump, has decided to close down her fashion brand.

The move comes over a year after she split from the company to enter the White House as a senior adviser.

Ms Trump launched the brand in 2014, but after her father's election was faced with boycotts from shoppers.

Ms Trump had reportedly become frustrated by the difficulties posed by avoiding possible conflicts of interest while serving in the White House.

A spokesperson for the company said the decision "has nothing to do with the performance of the brand and is based solely on Ivanka's decision to remain in Washington indefinitely."

After 17 months in her White House role Ms Trump said she did not know "when or if I will ever return to the business".

Poor sales?

The brand had already been dropped by several retailers such as the Nordstrom chain and - just last week - Canada's largest department store chain Hudson's Bay.

Both companies blamed poor sales for their decision.

Ms Trump's company is private and does not release sales figures.

An investigation by the Washington Post last year found that virtually all of Ms Trump's clothing was manufactured in developing countries such as Bangladesh, Indonesia and China.

A spokesperson for the firm told the Wall Street Journal that the fall was due to a tough comparison against last year when sales soared after Donald Trump became president.

Ms Trump's fashion career started with the launch of her jewellery brand in 2007. She developed seven categories ranging from footwear and handbags to eyewear and fragrance over the next six years.

Ms Trump herself imposed restrictions on how the company could operate when she moved to work for her father, including not expanding internationally and requiring the firm to obtain her approval before striking agreements with new domestic partners.

The company said these restrictions limited the company's ability to grow and meant winding down the business was the fairest option for the brand's partners and its employees.

The firm also said that Ms Trump would not agree to selling the brand since a third party was unlikely to adhere to the restrictions she had put in place.

Current licensing agreements with partners will continue until the end of their period, meaning the company's products would continue for now to be sold at US stores such as Bloomingdales, Zappos and Amazon, the firm said.

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