Beyoncé has broken ties with Philip Green, the man at the helm of Arcadia Group (which owns Topshop) and partner in her Ivy Park activewear line. The Grammy winner and her company Parkwood confirmed it has come to an agreement to take full control of the brand, ending her business relationship with Green.
The news comes on the heels of Green being accused of bullying and sexual harassment by his staff. Last month, it was revealed that he had gone to great lengths to silence the allegations through non-disclosure agreements, but the Daily Mail reports that the 66-year-old billionaire denies any wrongdoing and dismisses the claims of inappropriate behavior and racist remarks as “banter.”
Despite the timing, a spokesperson for Ivy Park maintains that the plans for Beyoncé to take full control of the activewear brand named in honor of her daughter Blue Ivy had already been in the works. “After discussions of almost a year, Parkwood has acquired 100 percent of the Ivy Park brand,” the spokesperson tells Us. “Topshop / Arcadia will fulfill the existing orders.”
As of Thursday, November 15, Ivy Park tees, bras, sweatshirts and more still appear on the Topshop website. It is unclear if the merchandise will continue to be sold through the retailer despite Green no longer having a financial stake.
When the brand first launched in 2016, Beyoncé said she was seeking create “a new kind of performance wear” and chose to work with Topshop because of its “fashion credentials and forward thinking.” In addition to Bey regularly wearing the sporty-yet-stylish designs, celebs like SZA and Yara Shahidi have starred in campaign imagery.
