Why let a good feud get in the way of business?
Taking a page from runway shows, Ivanka Trump took advantage of all the attention paid to the $138 dress she wore during her father Donald”s speech at the conclusion of the Republican National Convention late Thursday to send out a tweet telling people where they could buy the garment.
It turns out where they can buy it is a retailer that has some bad blood with Donald Trump: Macy’s. (M)
Shop Ivanka's look from her #RNC speech: https://t.co/ma42A92DYa#RNCinCLEpic.twitter.com/DwHvSOu8Ue
— Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) July 22, 2016
That retailer has been the object of Donald Trump’s wrath since it ended their relationship last year after the Republican candidate called some Mexicans rapists and murderers. Trump, who this week clinched the Republican nomination for the Presidential elections, has repeatedly taunted Macy’s in the last year, taking delight in the department store chain’s travails, and precipitous share price drop. (Last month, Macy’s announced that its CEO of 13 years was stepping down in 2017 as it looks to snap one of its worst spells ever.) Macy’s started selling Trump’s menswear line — including $70 dress shirts, $65 ties, and cuff links and watches — in 2004. Trump has also appeared in Macy’s commercials.
While Ivanka was never dragged into that contretemps, some find it surprising she has maintained her relationship with a retailer her father has wished ill fortune upon. It’s all the more surprising given that the dress is also sold at Nordstrom, a retailer that has never fought with Trump father, and she could have directed shoppers there instead.
And just like Donald’s former line at Macy’s, Ivanka’s clothes are made in China, a contradiction of the presidential candidate’s desire to see more items “Made in the U.S.A.” What’s more, Donald has on a few occasions raised the specter of a trade war with China (including a 45% tariff on Chinese imports), something that presumably would hurt production of Ivanka’s apparel lines. A spokesperson declined to comment on the matter but Ivanka Trump has in the past indicated she would like to produce more of her clothes in the U.S. but the infrastructure for that is insufficient as of now. Still, American production would almost certainly lead to much higher prices.
Forbes this week reported that her clothing line did $100 million in revenues in the last fiscal year, citing G-iii, the maker of her apparel lines.
And that success appears to be continuing: the dress she wore Thursday night sold out quickly on Macy’s and Nordstrom’s site by mid-afternoon on Friday.