During the election, Ivanka Trump wore several articles of clothing and several pieces of jewelry from her own brand of clothing and accessories. The problem at the time was that she was making campaign appearances and blatantly promoting her line, which was a harbinger of unethical behavior to come. I remembered thinking at the time that Ivanka’s clothing line and jewelry line weren’t all that special, especially not for the expensive price tag. What professional woman of means really wants to buy Ivanka-branded stuff anyway? It’s always been said about Donald Trump: he’s the poor man’s idea of a rich man. Well, Ivanka is the poor woman’s idea of a sophisticate. Ivanka isn’t hawking her crap to her wealthy peers, she’s selling aspirational, overpriced bulls–t to Walmart shoppers who think her label represents gold-gilded “class.” Bloomberg did a lengthy article about the evolution of Ivanka’s brand, from where it started as a niche label for wealthy women to where it is now, a standard of TJ Maxx and Walmart.

When she began selling her brand as a fine jewelry label, she looked to Tiffany & Co.’s robin egg-blue box and Christian Louboutin Ltd.’s red-soled pumps for inspiration. She placed Trump wares in the same realm as such storied couture names as Harry Winston Inc. and Van Cleef & Arpels. She even opened an opulent boutique on Manhattan’s Madison Avenue. Somewhere along the way, though, Ivanka Trump went downmarket. Her label now represents a much more modest image, perhaps recognizing exactly where on the retail continuum her products truly reside. At its heart, Ivanka Trump is a celebrity brand, not a designer fashion house, industry analysts say. It’s the messy discount rack, not the gleaming glass jewelry case. Her company’s moves over the past few years reflect that. And as it turns out, targeting the masses has worked.

“Celebrities, as a branding tool, appeal more to the mass than luxury,” said Allen Adamson, the New York-based founder of consulting firm BrandSimple. “The further downmarket she goes, the more horsepower her brand potentially has.”

The pivot began in late 2010, when Trump started her footwear and clothing businesses. She chose to go after a much-less-glossy group of people, discarding four-digit pricetags in favor of numbers more on par with the broader market. U.S. President Donald Trump’s election last year accelerated that shift. After losing her most glamorous retail partners amid the controversies and boycotts that have marked her father’s tempest-tossed administration, she halted production of the diamond jewelry that was her only remaining fashion business.

Her executives decided to nix the Ivanka Trump Fine Jewelry Collection in March in order to create a more cohesive brand. Gem-laden necklaces at $10,000 didn’t make a whole lot of sense for a brand that also peddles discount heels at DSW–a low-price shoe warehouse. In its place is a “fashion jewelry” collection sold at Lord & Taylor stores and online. There’s no solid gold or diamonds: Some items are available on sale for as little as $11.

[From Bloomberg]

There’s a lot more at Bloomberg and if you’re interested in the history of celebrity-branded fashion, it’s a fascinating read. People like Jennifer Lopez or Jessica Simpson have mass-market brands which are really popular, and the fact that their brands are “downmarket” doesn’t affect their celebrity images at all (plus, I really like J.Lo’s Kohl’s line). What’s interesting here is how Ivanka’s idea of her label has changed so significantly – she really wanted it to be a luxury label, and over the years she’s had to go downmarket… and it’s worked. While Ivanka’s label has been pulled from many department stores, it’s still being sold online and it’s doing very well. And do you know why it’s worked this year in particular? It’s because the Deplorables are rallying around their precious princess and buying her sh-t to support Emperor Bigly. These are people who won’t be able to afford healthcare next year, but they’re gonna buy up all of the $11 Ivanka earrings, by God.

Photos courtesy of WENN.