Beyoncé’s Ivy Park Clothing: Only $6.17 Daily Salary For Sri Lankan Workers Who Make Athletic Wear

Beyoncé and her Ivy Park clothing line are both continuing to make a buzz after launching, as reported by the Inquisitr. However, the attention that Beyoncé is now getting for her Ivy Park clothing isn’t necessarily the good kind of press that Beyoncé might seek.

According to Page Six, the Ivy Park clothing line by Beyoncé is gaining attention due to the so-called “sweat shop” labor that Beyoncé’s sportswear uses.

As reported by The Sun, one Ivy Park factory pays their workers 4.30 British Pounds per day, which equals $6.17 in U.S. currency per day.

Beyoncé teamed up with Sir Philip Green to create the Ivy Park gear, and those who make Beyoncé’s Ivy Park clothing out of Sri Lanka’s MAS Holdings ­factory are speaking out. Green is now under the spotlight as well, due to the 64-year-old pulling £400 million — or $574,360,000 U.S. — out of BHS (British Home Stores) prior to selling it. With Sir Philip being spotted with a new £100 million yacht in Monaco in April, it didn’t sit well with the public.

Now the 34-year-old Beyoncé is in the new because of the revelations from Ivy Park workers. One 22-year-old sewing machine operator spoke of her life and the daily grind of making Beyoncé’s Ivy Park clothing in Katunayake.

Beyoncé’s Ivy Park clothing, which can still be spotted for sale on eBay at high prices, is something that would take an entire month or two for the women who make Beyoncé’s leggings to purchase for themselves. The young women making Beyoncé’s clothing line are mostly poor, and work more than 60 hours per week at their jobs.

#Beyonce's #IvyPark sportswear made by Sri Lanka factory workers being paid 75 cents per hour. pic.twitter.com/iGvZGe9404

— Mike Sington (@MikeSington) May 15, 2016

The message of empowerment related via Beyoncé’s Ivy Park line isn’t one that is necessarily resonating with the young women, seeing as though most of them feared speaking about their jobs making Beyoncé’s Ivy Park clothing, because they didn’t want to lose their jobs.

“All we do is work, sleep, work, sleep.”

“When they talk about women and empowerment this is just for the foreigners. They want the foreigners to think everything is OK.”

With Beyoncé and Jay Z being reportedly worth a combined one billion dollars, those earnings stand in stark contrast to the $125.30 per month that the young woman making Beyoncé’s Ivy Park clothing line told the publication that she makes, and cannot survive on.

By Beyoncé using the factory, it is noted that Beyoncé isn’t doing anything illegal. Beyoncé is facing a publicity crisis of morality, a similar one that Kathie Lee Gifford faced years ago when sweatshop allegations dogged her as well.

To remedy the problem, Beyoncé could move her production and manufacturing of Ivy Park to the U.S., although that would cause the cost of the Ivy Park clothing line to rise. As seen on many episodes of Shark Tank, the sharks often tell entrepreneurs that manufacturing their products overseas would cause the price of their products to be reduced sharply. Some of those entrepreneurs insist upon their products being made in America — high prices or not.

Beyoncé’s clothing line might benefit from such a change in the middle of this publicity crisis for Beyoncé, who sings songs about empowering women. Beyoncé’s goal for Ivy Park was to inspire women.

“My goal with Ivy Park is to push the boundaries of athletic wear and to support and inspire women who understand that beauty is more than your physical appearance. True beauty is in the health of our minds, hearts and bodies. I know that when I feel physically strong, I am mentally strong and I wanted to create a brand that made other women feel the same way.”

After naming Beyoncé’s 228-piece Ivy Park for Blue Ivy, now at 4-years-old, Beyoncé is facing criticism for the Sri Lankan Ivy Park workers only making about 50 percent of the monthly average of $235.49. One Ivy Park clothing seamstress shares a 10-foot by 10-foot room with her sister, who is 19, with both paying just over $27 per month each for rent.

“We don’t have our own kitchen or shower; it’s just a small bedroom. We have to share the shower block with the men, so there isn’t much privacy. It is shocking and many of the women are very scared.”

Beyoncé has yet to respond to the controversy.

Beyoncé’s Ivy Park Clothing Line For Sale: Sold-Out $50 Leotard Selling For $500 On eBay

[Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, file]