It seems Ivanka Trump may be looking to revive her brand in China. According to The Fashion Law Trump was issued 13 trademarks last spring, and as of last month the China Trademark Office accepted 16 more applications. The applications were filed by Ivanka Trump Marks L. L. C., her intellectual property holding company, and include “garments, accessories, jewelry, and leather goods and advertising services [and] beauty products.”
It is unclear as of now when, or even if, Trump will relaunch any product lines in China or elsewhere. Her American line was shuttered this past summer due to lagging sales, although it had long been under fire. Only a week before the Ivanka Trump brand ceased all operations, Hudson’s Bay (parent company of Saks Fifth Avenue and Lord & Taylor) announced that it would no longer carry the line. That followed Nordstrom’s dropping of the brand in 2017. There was also been a widespread boycott of the brand and a high-profile copyright lawsuit filed against the brand by Aquazzura over the unauthorized copying of one of their signature shoe designs.
The New York Times points out that a foreign government doing business with the President’s daughter raises serious questions about ethics, especially in the midst of a trade war with said country, although the timing of the approvals could also be a coincidence. It is also possible that the Trump Organization is simply trying to stave off trademark infringement with no intention of relaunching the brand in China or elsewhere. “We have recently seen a surge in trademark filings by unrelated third parties trying to capitalize on the name and it is our responsibility to diligently protect our trademark,” said Abigail Klem, president of the Ivanka Trump brand.
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