Ivanka Trump's Fashion Label to Fold, Laying Off All Its Employees

Ivanka Trump is closing her namesake fashion brand in favor of a career in public policy. 

In a statement, she expressed gratitude to her employees, who will be laid off, the New York Post reported.

"When we first started this brand, no one could have predicted the success that we would achieve. 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.

"I am beyond grateful for the work of our incredible team who has inspired so many women; each other and myself included. While we will not continue our mission together, I know that each of them will thrive in their next chapter."

The brand had struggled in recent years, with Nordstrom electing to drop the line last year amid declining sales. 

At the time, President Trump defended his daughter in a tweet. 

"My daughter Ivanka has been treated so unfairly by Nordstrom," Trump wrote on Feb. 8. “She is a great person — always pushing me to do the right thing! Terrible!”

White House adviser Kellyanne Conway memorably got into trouble when she plugged the brand during an interview with "Fox & Friends" in 2017. 

"Go buy Ivanka's stuff," Conway said at the time, prompting outcry over ethics concerns. "I own some of it. I fully, I'm gonna just going to give a free commercial here. Go buy it today everybody. You can find it online."

Sales declined 45 percent over the past year, according to the Wall Street Journal. But the brand's sales were not a factor in the decision to shutter the business, according to a statement from the company.

"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," the statement read.

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