Ivanka Trump's self-titled clothing line has been relabelled and sold off under the name of Adrienne Vittadini, after the brand was dropped by a number of major retailers following her father's election as US president.
The claim, first reported by Business of Fashion (BoF), states that the womenswear pieces were being sold under the guise of a different label by licencing company G-III, and that this was being done without the knowledge of the Ivanka Trump brand.
G-III owns the right to manufacture and distribute Ivanka Trump garments, as well as other brands such as DKNY and Calvin Klein. According to BoF, the company was selling the relabelled merchandise to Stein Mart – an American discount chain.
While Dezeen is awaiting confirmation and comment from both companies, G-III issued a statement to BoF acknowledging the claims – but didn't clarify whether the pieces were also sold to other retailers.
It is also unclear whether Adrienne Vittadini – an American fashion designer herself – or her licensing company Authentic Brands Group were aware of the switch-up. Dezeen has contacted both companies for comment.
"G-III accepts responsibility for resolving this issue, which occurred without the knowledge or consent of the Ivanka Trump organisation," said a representative for G-III to BoF.
"G-III has already begun to take corrective actions, including facilitating the immediate removal of any mistakenly labelled merchandise from its customer. The Ivanka Trump brand continues to grow and remains very strong."
The reports are further backed up by images obtained by BoF, which show two identical items on sale at Stein Mart – one labelled Ivanka Trump and the other Adrienne Vittadini.
Although G-III argues that the brand of Trump's oldest daughter is continuing to experience growth, it was delivered a major blow following the controversial presidential election when many major retailers, such as Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus, pulled the line after poor sales.
But while Wall Street Journal reported a year-on-year slump of more than 70 percent in the run-up to the US election, more recent figures showed the brand's sales increased by 346 per cent between January to February of this year.
In January, Ivanka – Trump's second child – announced her formal leave of absence from the company, saying she would "no longer be involved with the management or operations".
Ever since Trump announced his plans to run for the US presidency, the architecture and design community has reacted strongly to his policies and opinions.
Tech companies took legal action against his immigration restrictions, and American architects urged him to take action on climate change in an open letter.