Ivanka Trump is shuttering her eponymous fashion brand after stepping away from the company more than a year ago to take a position in the White House.
Abigail Klem, the president of the brand since Trump stepped away, told its 18 employees Tuesday the company would be closing, according to the Wall Street Journal. Trump will address staff later in the day.
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“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, so making this decision now is the only fair outcome for my team and partners,” Trump said in a statement provided to the Washington Examiner.
Trump became frustrated in recent months with restrictions placed on the brand due to her White House role. Though she stepped away from daily operations of her company, she kept ownership interest through a trust.
Trump’s brand became highly politicized after her father launched his presidential campaign, with several clothing stores announcing they’d be dropping her line. Amid calls to boycott the brand, Nordstrom stopped selling her products. T.J. Maxx and Marshalls said it would stop promoting her brand.
The brand’s licensing contracts will run until their expiration dates and will not be renewed. The Ivanka Trump brand will continue to be sold at Lord & Taylor, Dillards, Bloomingdales, Zappos, Amazon, and Von Maur.
“This decision has nothing to do with the performance of the brand and is based solely on Ivanka’s decision to remain in Washington indefinitely,” a spokesperson for the Ivanka Trump brand told the Washington Examiner.
[Also read: Ivanka Trump: ‘I’m an optimist’ on passing paid family leave]
