Ivanka Trump, first daughter and senior adviser to President Donald Trump, is closing her namesake fashion brand, company President Abigail Klem told employees Tuesday.
Klem made the announcement to the 18 employees, but Mrs. Trump is expected to also address the staff Tuesday. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that Trump has been considering the closure during the past few months as self-imposed restrictions have frustrated operations.
It has been close to a year since Trump placed formal separation between herself and the company, IT Collection LLC, to prevent conflicts of interest as she carries out her work in the White House. Restrictions included putting distance between Trump and the daily management and operations of the company and prevented international expansion, but required her approval before new domestic agreements.
The report noted a spike in sales for the brand near the time of the 2016 presidential election, just two years after formally launching. The brand then faced attacks from groups dead set on killing any Trump family brand. Nordstrom and Hudson’s Bay eventually dropped the brand, stating that they did so based on sales.
“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,” Trump said, according to WSJ. “So making this decision now is the only fair outcome for my team and partners.”
The news comes despite the promotion of a workweek style dress just hours earlier:
Some companies have continued selling the line, while others have adjusted their promotion of the Ivanka Trump brand. Lord & Taylor, Saks Off 5th, Dillard’s Inc, Bloomingdale’s Inc, Zappos.com, Amazon.com, and Von Maur, Inc. still carried the line as of Tuesday, according to the report.
Michelle Moons is a White House Correspondent for Breitbart News — follow on Twitter @MichelleDiana and Facebook.