Ivanka Trump Brand Sued by San Francisco Fashion Retailer Over Unfair Competition

San Francisco fashion boutique Modern Appealing Clothing has sued Ivanka Trump's company over unfair competition. The class action lawsuit was filed in San Francisco Superior Court last Thursday. The lawsuit claims Ivanka Trump Marks, LLC, has gained an unfair advantage in the marketplace "from Donald J. Trump being the President of the United States and from Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared, working for the President of the United States." The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages on behalf of women's clothing retailers operating in California since January, and for an order preventing the Ivanka Trump brand from being sold in California.

Total Retail's Take: Since her father's inauguration in January, Ivanka Trump and her fashion line have been in the news. Groups such as Grab Your Wallet have promoted boycotts of all Trump-branded merchandise, and retailers such as Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Belk and Sears have dropped the products from their stores and websites. However, one has to wonder if all this publicity is having the exact opposite effect intended. According to the e-commerce aggregator Lyst, from January to February, sales of the Ivanka Trump brand increased 346 percent. I wonder if this latest lawsuit will push more consumers to the Trump brand. We'll keep you updated on this story.