Ivanka Trump's clothing line is facing allegations of malpractice - again

Controversy is no stranger to the Trumps

Words by Jadie Troy-Pryde

Ivanka Trump has been heralded as the voice for women in her father, Donald Trump's, administration. While her dad continues to make a name for himself as the president who spends most weekends at the golf course, made Melania 'agree to a pre-baby body contract', and can't spell on Twitter, Ivanka has been lauded as the voice of reason despite claims that she is complicit in her father's presidency.

While speculation mounts about whether or not the Trump-Russia allegations mean Donald Trump Jr has committed a federal crime, and Donald himself has come under fire for his 'creepy' comments about France's First Lady, Ivanka is the latest Trump to land herself in hot water.

The president's daughter is currently under scrutiny for her business practices in relation to her clothing line. Earlier this year, it was claimed that Ivanka had secretly changed the name of her fashion business to boost profits, but now she is facing backlash following a lengthy article in The Washington Post detailing how her clothing line functions behind closed doors - and it doesn't look good.

The article highlights that despite Donald Trump being an advocate for 'America First' in terms of business, Ivanka's clothing line allegedly depends on outsourced labour, relying 'exclusively on foreign factories in countries such as Bangladesh, Indonesia and China, where low-wage labourers have limited ability to advocate for themselves.'

The article claims that other companies in the fashion industry are making steps towards more ethical practices, hiring independent auditors to oversee factory conditions abroad and being transparent with customers about where their products are made. However, the piece goes on to claim that Ivanka employs a 'hands-off approach' and refuses to discuss the details of her company's code of conduct - including issues like child labour.

The Washington Post argues that the clothing line trusts that suppliers are abiding by the rules but don't go ahead and check what is actually happening.

It isn't the first time that Ivanka's company has courted controversy. Aside from the suspicious name-change debacle, female workers at one of the Chinese factories that Ivanka uses for her fashion line were reportedly paid a dollar an hour and were made to work through the month with only two days off. Furthermore, some claimed that they had experienced physical abuse.

The Trumps are yet to comment on the allegations.