Over the weekend, a British tabloid ran an article reporting that Beyoncé’s new clothing line, Ivy Park, which is distributed through Top Shop, is being manufactured in a sweatshop located in Sri Lanka.
According to The Sun, the clothing line uses “poverty-stricken seamstresses” at the MAS Holdings factory in Sri Lanka to make the clothes.
On Monday, WWD reports, the brand issued a statement: “Ivy Park has a rigorous, ethical, trading program. We are proud of our sustained efforts in terms of factory inspections and audits, and our teams worldwide work very closely with our suppliers and their factories to ensure compliance.”
According to WWD, 400 rupees is the minimum wage in Sri Lanka ($2.68 at current exchange rates), and MAS Holdings said that its workers make more than double the minimum wage.