Ivanka's troubled fashion label defends itself and says profits are bigger than ever after it's dumped by Nordstrom

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Ivanka Trump's fashion label says that it continues to continues to expand, resulting in 'significant' revenue growth last year compared to the previous year.

The news comes after Nordstrom said on Thursday it will stop selling Ivanka Trump clothing and accessories, creating some questions about the future of the brand elsewhere.

Rosemary K. Young, senior director of marketing at Ivanka Trump, said in a statement: 'The Ivanka Trump brand continues to expand across categories and distribution with increased customer support, leading us to experience significant year-over-year revenue growth in 2016. 

'We believe that the strength of a brand is measured not only by the profits it generates, but the integrity it maintains. 

Ivanka Trump looked downcast Friday afternoon as she headed out for the weekend with her kids in tow

The first daughter is seeing the clothing line she built for the past five years, crumble just weeks into her father's presidency

First grandchildren Joseph and Arabella were with their mother on Friday when she headed out for the afternoon 

'The women behind the brand represent a diverse group of professionals and we are proud to say that the Ivanka Trump brand continues to embody the principles upon which it was founded. 

'It is a company built to inspire women with solution-oriented offerings, created to celebrate and service the many aspects of their lives.'  

Nordstrom, which is based in Seattle, said the decision was based on the sales performance of the first daughter's brand.

'We've said all along we make buying decisions based on performance,' Nordstrom said. 

'We've got thousands of brands— more than 2,000 offered on the site alone. Reviewing their merit and making edits is part of the regular rhythm of our business.'

Nordstrom said that each year the chain cuts about 10 per cent and refreshes its assortment with about the same amount.

It's believed that a boycott of the Ivanka Trump brand led to the poor sales. Above, Trump looks downcast as she attends a meeting with business leaders at the White House on Friday

Nordstom's announced on Thursday that it was cutting the brand due to poor sales. The remaining shoes on Nordstrom's website now feature 'new markdown' notices. The site used to feature not only shoes but also clothes and bags

'In this case, based on the brand's performance we've decided not to buy it for this season,' Nordstrom added. 

An unnamed spokesperson for the Ivanka Trump brand contradicted Nordstrom's statement, saying that Nordstrom did order both shoes and clothing for spring and moved forward with the purchase of clothing. 

The move by Nordstrom Inc. comes amid a social media campaign called 'Grab Your Wallet,' urging a boycott of stores that stock Ivanka Trump or Donald Trump products.  

The campaign was launched on October 11 by Shannon Coulter and Sue Atencio after they 'simultaneously realized they could no longer in good conscience shop at retailers that do business with the Trump family'.  

Seat at the table: Ivanka is seen listening to her father at the business council meeting on Friday. From left to right: the first daughter, Global Infrastructure Partners Chairman Adebayo Ogunlesi, IBM CEO Ginni Rometty, PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi, Blackstone Group Chairman, CEO Stephen Schwarzman and the president 

Her own model: Throughout the campaign, Ivanka often wore her own clothing line as she stumped for her father on the campaign trail 

Smiles: Ernst & Young CEO Mark Weinberger talks with Ivanka Trump as U.S. President Donald Trump hosts a strategy and policy forum with chief executives of major U.S. companies at the White House in Washington on Friday 

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The campaign compiled a list of businesses that sell Trump family goods. 

The extensive list also includes companies that advertise on Celebrity Apprentice or executives that have raised money for President Donald Trump.

The campaign name was direct reference to the president's infamous 'grab them by the p***y' remark from 2005 a leaked audio tape that led to numerous allegations of sexual assault.

In November, Nordstrom responded to a shopper's letter calling for the company to stop selling the brand, tweeting: 'We hope that offering a vendor's products isn't misunderstood as us taking a political position; we're not.'   

Since announcing that the retail giant would not stock the Ivanka Trump brand, some have questioned if the decision was based on a political reason

Nordstrom has stated they didn't buy her brand 'for this season based on its sales performance' 

As of early Saturday morning, the only remaining Ivanka Trump items were a few heavily-discounted shoes on Nordstrom's website. 

The few shoes that are left on Nordstrom's website are marked down 40 per cent - and represent just a fraction of the dozens of Ivanka items they used to sell. 

The Nordstrom Rack website, however, didn't list any Ivanka Trump products on its site early Saturday. 

Ivanka's line has completely disappeared from the Neiman Marcus website, as well.

Racked reports that there were 21 Ivanka items on the website this week - including a $12,000 bracelet - but now they are all gone.  

Nordstrom said the cut is based on the 'brand's performance' and that they decided 'not to buy it for this season'

As the stores emptied their stock of Ivanka-branded items, the first daughter could barely put on a smile as she attended a meeting with business leaders at the White House earlier Friday.

Friday marked the first gathering of President Trump's council of business leaders. 

Led by Stephen Schwarzman, chairman and chief executive of the private equity group Blackstone, the council has about 15 members, including the leaders of Wal-Mart, Tesla, the Cleveland Clinic and Pepsi.

The council is 'designed to provide direct input to the president from many of the best and brightest in the business world in a frank, non-bureaucratic, and nonpartisan manner,' according to a Blackstone press release in December announcing its formation.

Nordstrom has come under fire from Trump supporters, but the department chain insisted the move was not political.

'Our buying decisions are based on sales, so it was not a political decision for us. We're sorry for any disappointment,' Nordstrom tweeted to one user.

Ivanka's shoes seemed to be on deep discount at multiple Nordstrom Rack stores, including this one in Ohio 

Ivanka Trump bags  also had their prices slashed at the Manhattan Nordstrom Rack 

A pair of Ivanka Trump shoes are seen on clearance sale at a New York City Nordstrom Rack on Friday

In another message, they repeated the statement reiterating the move is 'based on its sales performance.'

When the mother-of-three first launched the Ivanka Trump footwear line in 2011, Nordstrom was one of the first retail partnerships for her, as Marc Fisher Footwear is the licensee for the products. 

Other companies who have dropped her brand due to the Grab Your Wallet campaign include Shoes.com and interior decor store Bellacor.

Shoes.com became the first retailer to announce it was dropping Ivanka Trump's shoe line in November, although the company has folded as of January 27.

The Nordstrom Rack website didn't list any Ivanka Trump products on its site early Saturday morning

Ivanka Trump's independent lifestyle brand promotes her image as a successful working mother and partners with companies to make the branded blush pink dresses and trendy booties offered in multiple department stores.

The brand came under fire after she appeared on CBS' 60 Minutes wearing a nearly $11,000 gold bracelet from her jewelry line, which an employee pointed out in an email seeking free publicity.

Ivanka Trump announced in January she would take a formal leave of absence from both her brand and Trump Organization to help settle her family in Washington, D.C.