Ivanka Trump Shutters Namesake Retail Brand

Ivanka Trump announced yesterday that she would be shutting down her retail brand. According to CNBC, the decision comes roughly one year after Trump stopped working directly with the company to serve as senior advisor to the White House. The clothing and accessories brand was successful when it first launched in 2014, but over the last year-and-a-half critics of her father's politics have put Ivanka's brand at the center of boycotts and other protests. It was reported that the brand's licensing agreements with G-III Apparel Group will not be renewed but will "run their course" until they expire.

"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," Ivanka Trump said in a statement to the press.

Total Retail's Take: Since President Donald Trump has taken office, the Ivanka Trump retail brand has been monitored closely. In 2016, Ivanka Trump sales increased due to increased exposure from the election, however, the brand had become a focal point for critics of the President in the year-and-half that have followed the election. Retailers including Nordstrom and Hudson's Bay stopped selling Ivanka Trump products over the last 18 months due to poor sales. A spokeswoman said the brand launched its e-commerce operations earlier this year due to changing consumer behaviors, but it wasn't enough to overcome the losses from the wholesale business.