Beyonce accused of using 'sweatshop slavery' to make Topshop clothing range

The company making Beyonce's Ivy Park range for Topshop has been accused of using sweatshop labour, by paying workers just £4.80 ($2.01) a day. According to The Sun on Sunday, campaigner Jakub Sobik of Anti-Slavery International said: "With what is being described here, this is a form of sweatshop slavery… Companies like Topshop have a duty to find out if these things are happening, and it has long been shown that ethical inspections by these companies are failing."

It comes as an unnamed seamstress from MAS Holdings – which employs 74,000 workers, with 70% of them women – dismissed Beyonce's claims her clothing range empowered women. She said: "When they talk about women and empowerment this is just for the foreigners. They want the foreigners to think everything is OK."

Beyonce, 34, recently said that she wants her Ivy Park gym gear to support and inspire women while Topshop claim it "empowers women through sport." Last month, Beyonce previewed a video at the Topshop's flagship Oxford Street store in London.

She said: "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."

The Sun on Sunday claim that the workers, who are mostly young women, work more than 60 hours a week to make ends meet.

According to the Mirror, a Topshop spokesperson defended the "ethical trading programme" used for Queen Bey's new range. She told the newspaper: "Ivy Park has a rigorous ethical trading programme."

"We are proud of our sustained efforts in terms of factory inspections and audits, and our teams work very closely with our suppliers and their factories to ensure compliance. We expect our suppliers to meet our code of conduct and we support them in achieving these requirements."