Tory Burch

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Tory Burch
Tory Burch in India.JPG
Burch in India, 2009
Born Tory Robinson
(1966-06-17) June 17, 1966 (age 46)
Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, United States
Residence New York City
Nationality American
Education University of Pennsylvania
Occupation Fashion designer
Known for Tory Burch line of clothing and accessories
Net worth Increase US$ 1.0 billion (March 2013)[1]
Spouse(s) William Macklowe (divorced)
J. Christopher Burch (1997-2006; divorced)
Awards

2005 Rising Star, Fashion Group International;

2007 brand launch award, Accessories Council of Excellence;
CFDA Accessories Designer of the Year, 2008

Tory Burch (born June 17, 1966; née Robinson) is an American fashion designer business woman and philanthropist, who has won several fashion awards for her designs.[2] She was born, raised, and educated in the Philadelphia metropolitan area.

Contents

Personal life [edit]

Family and education [edit]

Burch was born in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania,[3] the daughter of Reva (née Schapira) and Ira Earl "Bud" Robinson (b. Jan. 6, 1923 - d. Aug. 9, 2007).[4] She was raised with her three brothers (Robert, James and Leonard) [5] in a Valley Forge farmhouse, a 250-year old Georgian near the Valley Forge National Historical Park.[6]

Her mother is a former actress who dated Steve McQueen and Marlon Brando.[6] Her father, who was a wealthy investor, is now deceased.[7] Her father inherited a stock exchange seat and a paper cup company. He dated Grace Kelly and Joan Bennett.[6] Tory's father was fourteen years older than her mother.[6] Burch is Jewish on her mother's side.[8][9]

Burch attended the Agnes Irwin School in Rosemont, PA, where she rode horses, was captain of the tennis team,[6] and was a friend of jewelry designer Kara Ross (they remain friends today).[10] Her first job was at Benetton in the King of Prussia Mall.[10] She then attended the University of Pennsylvania, where she was a member of the women's fraternity Kappa Alpha Theta. She majored in art history, and graduated in 1988.[6]

Marriage and subsequent life [edit]

She was first married to William Macklowe, son of real-estate tycoon Harry B. Macklowe.[11] From 1997 through 2006, she was married to J. Christopher Burch,[7] an investor in Internet Capital Group, a venture capital firm founded by Walter Buckley and Ken Fox. She dated Lance Armstrong in 2007.[12][13] More recently, she has been linked to Lyor Cohen.[14][15][16][17] After divorcing from Burch, she continued to live with her children in their New York City apartment. She has three sons and three stepdaughters.[2]

In January 2013, Forbes magazine estimated that she is now a billionaire with a net worth of $1.0 billion dollars.[18]

Socialite [edit]

Burch was co-chair of the American Ballet Theatre Spring Gala in 2007.[19] She is also active in a variety of socialite activities such as passing out gift bags at The Lung Cancer Research Foundation's "Strides for Life" Race.[20]

Burch at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival

Film appearances [edit]

In 2009, she appeared in the fourth episode of Gossip Girl season three as herself.[21]

Year Film Role Notes
2004 Just a Clown (special thanks)
2008 America's Next Top Model (special thanks)
2009 Gossip Girl Herself (season 3,4th episode)
2012 Fashion King Herself Cameo

Fashion career [edit]

Early work [edit]

She moved to New York City after graduating college, where she began a career working with fashion designers, including Zoran, a Yugoslavian designer.[6] She worked at Harper's Bazaar magazine, Vera Wang,[6][22] and was a copywriter for Polo Ralph Lauren

Fashion label [edit]

Tory Burch logo design photographed from a shoebox in 2012

She began a fashion label, "TRB by Tory Burch"—later known as "Tory Burch", in February 2004. As of January 2013, the company had grown to 83 Tory Burch stores worldwide.[23] Her fashion line is carried at over 1,000 department and specialty stores worldwide,[23] including Saks Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus[24] Nordstrom and Bloomingdale's.[25] Her flagship store is in the NoLIta neighborhood of Manhattan.[3][26]

In April 2005, Oprah Winfrey endorsed her line on The Oprah Winfrey Show.[2] In 2009, Tory Burch sold a minority stake in her company to a Mexican private equity firm, Tresalia Capital.[27] Additional minority investors were added in December 2012 in conjunction with the settlement of a legal dispute between Burch and her ex-husband. This settlement is said to have removed a substantial obstacle to a forthcoming IPO, which has been the subject of considerable discussion in the financial and fashion industries.[28][29]

Design style [edit]

Burch at 2007 Accessories Council of Excellence awards

Her style has been described as preppy-boho and preppy-bohemian luxe[2] and is known for including her T-logo medallion.[22] Some select styles of sunglasses, such as the Rounded Aviator, have the signature logo printed on the lens.[3] Her styles are popular with the viewers and fans of the television show Gossip Girl, which they often appear on,[30] and among different generations.[31] Her style is known for being easy to wear and for being widely part of a versatile wardrobe.[22][32][6][33] In 2007, there were wait lists to buy her fashions,[34] which are representations of and homages to 1950s and 1960s fashions.[6][35] Burch named her line of Reva ballerina flats after her mother.[6] Burch is known as one of the leaders in turning the t-shirt into a fashion item.[36]

Awards [edit]

In 2008, she won the Council of Fashion Designers of America, as the accessories designer of the year.[37] In 2007, she won the Accessory Brand Launch of the year award from the Accessories Council of Excellence.[3][38] In 2005, she won Rising Star Award to Burch for best new Retail Concept from the Fashion Group International.[3]

Philanthropy [edit]

In 2008, Burch founded the Tory Burch Foundation, which provides "economic opportunities to women and their families".[39] The foundation is currently partnered with ACCION USA, a non-profit domestic microfinance provider founded in 1991, to provide domestic microfinance to low income entrepreneurs in the United States.[40][41] Her stores sell several products whose proceeds support the Foundation’s work.[42]

She is on the board of the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and chaired the 2006 spring gala for the American Ballet Theatre. In 2008, she was honored at a Colleague Helpers in Philanthropic Services (C.H.I.P.S.) luncheon that benefited the Children’s Institute, Inc.[43]

Notes [edit]

  1. ^ Forbes Magazine "The World's Billionaires: Tory Burch" March 2013
  2. ^ a b c d "Tory Burch". New York. New York Media LLC. Retrieved 2008-08-14. 
  3. ^ a b c d e "About Tory Burch". ToryBurch.com. Archived from the original on July 8, 2007. Retrieved 2008-08-14. 
  4. ^ [1]
  5. ^ "An Empire Of Her Own". Vanity Fair. Tory Burch, LLC. 2007-02-01. Retrieved 2012-04-25. 
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "An Empire Of Her Own". Vanity Fair. Tory Burch, LLC. 2007-02-01. Retrieved 2008-08-14. [dead link]
  7. ^ a b Fitzsimons, Amanda (2008-08-01). "Tory Burch's Philadelphia". WWDLifestyle. WWD. Retrieved 2008-08-14. 
  8. ^ Vos is Neias: "New York City - Examining The 'Halacha' If Jewish Fashion Mogul Needs A 'Get'" November 2, 2008
  9. ^ http://www.vanityfair.com/business/2012/12/tory-burch-chris-c-wonder
  10. ^ a b O'Halloran, Caroline (March 18, 2011). "Rock star ascending: Main Line-bred jewelry maker Kara Ross". Mainline Media News. Retrieved March 26, 2013. 
  11. ^ Dave, Urja (2008). "Tory Burch". Retrieved 2010-01-28. 
  12. ^ Silverman, Stephen M. (2007-10-03). "Lance Armstrong, Tory Burch Break Up". People. Time Inc. Retrieved 2008-08-14. 
  13. ^ Salkin, Allen (2008-06-22). "It’s Not About the Bike". The New York Times (The New York Times Company). Retrieved 2008-08-14. 
  14. ^ Johnson, Richard (2008-08-07). "ROSE IN BRIEF". New York Post. NYP Holdings. Retrieved 2008-08-15. [dead link]
  15. ^ Johnson, Richard (2008-08-14). "Hamptons Heavies Love Woody". New York Post. NYP Holdings. Retrieved 2008-08-15. [dead link]
  16. ^ Bankoff, Caroline (2008-08-14). "Morning Memo: No New Baby for Madonna?; The Beatrice Inn's Neighbors Speak Out; Who Owns AshleyDupre.com?". The New York Observer. Observer Media Group. Retrieved 2008-08-15. 
  17. ^ Abravanel, Lesley (2009-04-05). "Scene In The Tropics: The Hoff bypasses booze, but not the photo op". Miami Herald. Retrieved 2009-04-17. 
  18. ^ O'Connor, Clare (2013-01-03). "Fashion Tycoon Tory Burch Becomes A Billionaire (Thanks, In Part, To $200 Ballet Flats)". Forbes. Retrieved 2013-01-07. 
  19. ^ American Ballet Theatre (2007-04-23). "Pianist Lang Lang to perform at American Ballet Theatre's opening night". American Ballet Theatre. Retrieved 2008-09-22. 
  20. ^ Bryan, Meredith (2008-08-12). "Tory returns". The New York Observer. Observer Media Group. Retrieved 2008-08-15. 
  21. ^ "Designers Guest Star on 'Gossip Girl'". wwd.com. Retrieved 2009-08-13. 
  22. ^ a b c Kroll, Betsy (2007-09-21). "Tory's Turn". Time (Time Inc.). Retrieved 2008-08-14. 
  23. ^ a b Zinko, Carolyne (25 January 2013). "Empowerment in fashion for Tory Burch - SFGate". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 8 February 2013. 
  24. ^ "Tory Burch at Neiman Marcus". 
  25. ^ "Tory Burch at Bloomingdales". 
  26. ^ Teri Agins (2008-02-01). "How Tory Burch Found Her Stride". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2008-09-24. [dead link]
  27. ^ "Designer Tory Burch Sells Minority Stake". The New York Times. 2009-07-24. Retrieved 2010-05-25. 
  28. ^ Steigrad, Alexandra. "Battle of the Burches Over", Women's Wear Daily, 2012-12-31. Retrieved on 2013-1-1.
  29. ^ O'Connor, Claire. "Why Tory Burch Should Be Fashion's Next Billionaire - and How Her Ex Could Stop Her", Forbes, 2012-11-26 (online; in magazine dated 2012-12-10). Retrieved on 2013-1-1.
  30. ^ La Ferla, Ruth (2008-07-08). "Forget Gossip, Girl; the Buzz Is About the Clothes". The New York Times (The New York Times Company). Retrieved 2008-08-14. 
  31. ^ Van Dyk, Deirdre (2007 Style & design issue). "Who's Holding the Handbag?". Time (Time Inc.). Retrieved 2008-08-14. 
  32. ^ Horyn, Cathy (2005-09-16). "Frayed Nerves and Visions as Two Worlds Compete". The New York Times (The New York Times Company). Retrieved 2008-08-14. 
  33. ^ Prabhakar, Hitha (2007-03-14). "Tastemakers: Fashion Design". Forbes. Forbes.com LLC. Retrieved 2008-08-15. 
  34. ^ Kroll, Betsy (2007-02-27). "Pointe Guard". Time (Time Inc.). Retrieved 2008-08-14. 
  35. ^ Betts, Kate (2007 Style & design issue). "Style & Design: Global Luxury Survey". Time (Time Inc.). Retrieved 2008-08-14. 
  36. ^ Sedgwick, Jessica (2008-08-14). "Tee party - Find the right look for your body type". Chicago Sun-Times. Digital Chicago, Inc. Retrieved 2009-04-17. 
  37. ^ "Letter to Fashion Community 25 August 2008". The Council of Fashion Designers of America. 
  38. ^ "Tory Burch and Kerry Washington". In Style. Time Inc. Retrieved 2008-08-15. 
  39. ^ [www.toryburchfoundation.org Tory Burch Foundation website]
  40. ^ Burch, Tory (2009-09-17). "Guest Post: Tory Burch on Helping Small Businesses". Fortune. Retrieved 2010-01-10. 
  41. ^ Harman, Gina (2009-09-18). "Tory Burch Raises Awareness and Funds for U.S. Microfinance". AccionUSA. Retrieved 2010-01-10. 
  42. ^ "Defying the Downturn". CNBC. 
  43. ^ Chan, Jennifer (2008-05-12). "Tory Totale". Fashion Week Daily. Retrieved 2010-01-10. 

External links [edit]

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tory_Burch&oldid=556724310"