fashion

Ivanka Trump's clothing line debacle has taken another bizarre turn.

Another day, another scandal surrounding Ivanka Trump’s clothing brand. First retail giant Nordstrom pulled it from its shelves, then President Trump’s adviser Kellyanne Conway gave it an ethically questionable endorsement on live television.

But today, the drama comes from within.

The company that manufactures and distributes the First Daughter’s merchandise has been sprung passing it off under another brand.

According to Business of Fashion, G-III Apparel Group has admitted to affixing ‘Adrienne Vittadini Studio’ labels to the 35-year-old’s line and selling the products on to Stein Mart, an American discount chain with 290 stores across the US.

In a statement, G-III accepted responsibility for the issue, which it said occurred “without the knowledge or consent” of Miss Trump’s organisation.

“G-III has already begun to take corrective actions, including facilitating the immediate removal of any mistakenly labelled merchandise from its customer,” the statement read, according to Business of Fashion.

“The Ivanka Trump brand continues to grow and remains very strong.”

ivanka trump clothing relabelled
Ivanka has not commented on the issue. Image: Getty.
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It remains unclear how the switch happened, especially given Vittadini isn't in any way affiliated with G-III (the label's licensing is handled by Authentic Brands Group, an entirely separate company).

Nor has it been explained precisely why.

There's speculation the stuff-up may have something to do with the need to offload stock while at the same time protecting the brand from being associated with a discount retail outlet. While technically legal, it's never going to be confirmed by either party.

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But there's no doubting the Ivanka Trump brand has been plagued by image and inventory problems since President Trump's rise to power, having been dropped from several prominent American retailers, most notably Nordstrom, which cited weak sales.

It was that move that prompted Conway's controversial shout-out during a February interview on Fox News.

“I’m going to give [Ivanka's label] a free commercial here,” she said. “Go buy it today, everybody. You can find it online.”