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Ivanka Trump (who recently helped to block this proposed order threatening LGBTQ and women’s rights from coming to fruition) has faced some MAJOR backlash over her fashion lines as of late, with reports coming in fast and furiously that two of her brand’s biggest retailers, Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus, had both dropped her brand.
Now, in an exclusive interview with Refinery 29, Ivanka’s brand has responded to those department store claims directly, saying that they’re only partially true.
“Nordstrom ordered both apparel and shoes for the spring, and followed through with the orders on their apparel. They canceled their shoe order, kept the apparel order and moved the apparel from online into stores. It’s there,” a spokesperson insisted.
Nordstrom has taken to Twitter to say otherwise… kind of.
@JerzeeJeff As our buying decisions for the brands we offer are based on sales performance, we decided not to buy that line for the season.
— Nordstrom (@Nordstrom) February 5, 2017
Though they told one customer that they hadn’t purchased Ivanka Trump products “for that season” in what we can only assume was a direct reference to spring, they did say that customers would continue to see the product on shelves until it sold through.
@uffda111 We still have inventory on hand, so customers will continue to see product until it sells through.
— Nordstrom (@Nordstrom) February 4, 2017
Yet when Twitter user @uffda111 asked the company flat out if they had reordered Ivanka’s spring line for their brick-and-mortar stores, they were extra careful with their wording, noting that “because of variations in timing of previous buys and deliveries,” customers would continue to see product.
@uffda111 Because of variations in timing of previous buys and deliveries, customers will continue to see product available for a while.
— Nordstrom (@Nordstrom) February 4, 2017
Hmmm. We’re not sure what to make of this one. While we totally get the concept of clearing out inventory, it’s somewhat suspect that they won’t answer the question of whether or not they’ve placed an order for spring apparel with a clear yes or no.
Such a non-answer would also allow them some wiggle room with Republican and Democratic shoppers, both of whom are taking the company to task for its association (or lack thereof) with the Ivanka Trump Brand. It was these exact political pressures that many speculate were the driving force behind Nordstrom’s decision to pull the line in the first place, despite the store’s claims that it had been made been due to declining performance. “They couldn’t handle the political pressure, someone new came in, and there was a change in the attitude toward the brand,” a source told Refinery 29.
Sigh. Sounds like this is one case of he said/she said we may never know the answer to!
Do you think stores should continue to carry Ivanka’s brand? Sound off over @BritandCo.
(h/t Cosmopolitan, photos via Mark Makela + Dave A. Grogan/Getty)
