Tory Burch
Tory Burch | |
|---|---|
 Burch in India | |
| Born | June 17, 1966 Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | University of Pennsylvania |
| Occupation | Fashion designer |
| Known for | Bohemian chic accessories |
| Label | Tory Burch |
| 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 was born, raised and educated in the Philadelphia metropolitan area.
She attended the Agnes Irwin School in Rosemont, PA, and the University of Pennsylvania, where she was a member of the sorority Kappa Alpha Theta. After graduation, she moved to New York City, where she began a career working with fashion designers, including Zoran, a Yugoslavian designer.[1] She worked at Harper's Bazaar magazine.[1][2] She was a copywriter for Polo Ralph Lauren and worked for Vera Wang.
She began a fashion label in February 2004. The label was an immediate success and was endorsed by Oprah Winfrey the following year. The label has stores in several large American cities and has lines that are sold in several upscale specialty department stores. Burch has won several fashion awards for her designs. The company has since grown to 36 stores 4 of which are outlet stores in Woodbury Commons, NY, San marcos, TX, Camarillo and Orlando Premium Outlets. Her fashion label known as "TRB by Tory Burch"—later as "Tory Burch"—began as a business operation in her Upper East Side apartment and quickly blossomed into free-standing boutiques,[3] now numbering 26.[4] In February 2004, Tory Burch opened a flagship store in the NoLIta neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City.[5][6] The store was almost completely sold out on the first day.[6] Stories about her and her fashion line have been in a broad spectrum of magazines and newspapers,[7] and in April 2005, Winfrey endorsed her line on The Oprah Winfrey Show.[3]
Personal life
Born in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania,[5] Burch was raised with her four brothers (Robert, James, Leonard, and Nick)[1] in a Valley Forge farmhouse where her mother, Reva Robinson, still lived in 2008.[8] The house is a 250-year old Georgian near the Valley Forge National Historical Park.[1] Her mother is a former actress who dated Steve McQueen and Marlon Brando.[1] Her father, Buddy Robinson, who was a wealthy investor, is now deceased.[8] Her father inherited a stock exchange seat and a paper cup company. He dated Grace Kelly and Joan Bennett.[1] Tory's father was fourteen years older than her mother.[1]
Tory served as captain of the tennis team and rode horses while at the Agnes Irwin School.[1] Tory attended the University of Pennsylvania, where she majored in art history, and graduated in 1988.[1]
From 1997 through 2006, she was married to Christopher Burch,[8] an investor in Internet Capital Group, a venture capital firm founded by Walter Buckley and Ken Fox. Previously she was married to William Macklowe, son of real-estate tycoon Harry B. Macklowe.[9] She dated Lance Armstrong in 2007.[10][11] More recently, she has been linked to Lyor Cohen.[12][13][14][15] After divorcing from Burch, she continued to live with her children in their New York City apartment. Burch has three sons and three stepdaughters.[3] As of March 2009, her children were twins Henry and Nicholas, age 12, and Sawyer, 8 and her step children were Alexandra, 24; Elizabeth, 23, and Louisa, 20.
Business
Her company produces caftans, sequined cardigans, tunics, children's swimwear, jewelry, handbags, shoes, and sunglasses.[3] The style has been described as Preppy-boho and Preppy-bohemian luxe.[3] Her sunglasses have the signature logo printed on the lens. Her styles are popular with the viewers and fans of the television show Gossip Girl, which they often appear on,[16] and her style transcends generations.[17] Her style is known for being easy to wear.[2][18] In 2007, there were wait lists to buy her fashions,[19] which are hallmark representations of and homages to 1950s and 1960s fashions.[1][20] Her fashions are known for including her T-logo medallion.[2] Her clothing is versatile enough to be part of the wardrobe of a clientele ranging from working women and soccer moms to socialites and wealthy women.[1][21] Burch named her popular line of Reva ballerina flats after her mother.[1] Burch is known as one of the leaders in turning the t-shirt into a fashion item.[22]
In 2008, she beat Marc Jacobs and Michael Kors for the Council of Fashion Designers of America, as the accessories designer of the year.[23] In 2007, she won the Accessory Brand Launch of the year award from the Accessories Council of Excellence.[5][24] In 2005, she won Rising Star Award to Burch for best new Retail Concept from the Fashion Group International.[5]
In 2009, Burch appeared in the fourth episode of Gossip Girl season three as herself.[25]
There are currently 26 Tory Burch boutiques in the US and two international boutiques. Her fashion line is carried in Saks Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus[26] Nordstrom and Bloomingdale's.[27] In 2009, Tory Burch sold a minority stake in her company to a Mexican private equity firm, Tresalia Capital.[28]
Philanthropy
In 2008, Burch founded the Tory Burch Foundation, which provides "economic opportunities to women and their families".[29] The Tory Burch Foundation is currently partnered with ACCION USA to provide domestic microfinance to low income entrepreneurs in the United States.[30] ACCION USA is a non-profit domestic microfinance provider founded in 1991.[31] Burch explained the reason for her focus as “I like microfinance in particular because it isn’t charity in the traditional sense. It’s about investing in people who might otherwise not have the chance to pursue their goals and helping families lift themselves out of poverty…It’s also incredibly important to the economic recovery of our country.”[30] Burch’s stores sell several products whose proceeds support the Foundation’s work.[32]
Burch is on the board of the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and, in 2006, chaired the spring gala for the American Ballet Theatre which raised an estimated $1.8 million. In 2008, Burch was honored at a Colleague Helpers in Philanthropic Services (C.H.I.P.S.) luncheon that benefited the Children’s Institute, Inc.[33]
Socialite
Her parents were part of Philadelphia high society.[8] Now, she is a socialite and businesswoman. She was co-chair of the American Ballet Theater Spring Gala in 2007 along with Caroline Kennedy, Carolina Herrera, Susan Fales-Hill (Misty Copeland's sponsor), Dayssi Olarte de Kanavos, and Sloan Lindemann Barnett.[34] She is also active in a variety of socialite activities such as the passing out gift bags at The Lung Cancer Research Foundation's "Strides for Life" Race.[35] Her success at transitioning from socialite to business mogul is considered the type of success that many socialites aspire to.[1][36]
Filmography
| 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) |
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "An Empire Of Her Own". Vanity Fair. Tory Burch, LLC. 2007-02-01. Retrieved 2008-08-14. [dead link]
- ^ a b c Kroll, Betsy (2007-09-21). "Tory's Turn". Time. Time Inc. Retrieved 2008-08-14.
- ^ a b c d e "Tory Burch". New York. New York Media LLC. Retrieved 2008-08-14.
- ^ "Store locator". Retrieved 1 July 2010.
- ^ a b c d "About Tory Burch". ToryBurch.com. Archived from the original on July 8, 2007. Retrieved 2008-08-14.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ a b Teri Agins (2008-02-01). "How Tory Burch Found Her Stride". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2008-09-24. [dead link]
- ^ "About Tory Burch: Tory Burch Press". ToryBurch.com. Archived from the original on August 22, 2007. Retrieved 2008-08-14.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ a b c d Fitzsimons, Amanda (2008-08-01). "Tory Burch's Philadelphia". WWDLifestyle. WWD. Retrieved 2008-08-14.
- ^ Dave, Urja (2008). "Tory Burch". Retrieved 2010-01-28.
- ^ Silverman, Stephen M. (2007-10-03). "Lance Armstrong, Tory Burch Break Up". People. Time Inc. Retrieved 2008-08-14.
- ^ Salkin, Allen (2008-06-22). "It's Not About the Bike". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved 2008-08-14.
- ^ Johnson, Richard (2008-08-07). "ROSE IN BRIEF". New York Post. NYP Holdings. Retrieved 2008-08-15. [dead link]
- ^ Johnson, Richard (2008-08-14). "Hamptons Heavies Love Woody". New York Post. NYP Holdings. Retrieved 2008-08-15. [dead link]
- ^ 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.
- ^ Abravanel, Lesley (2009-04-05). "Scene In The Tropics: The Hoff bypasses booze, but not the photo op". Miami Herald. Retrieved 2009-04-17.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Van Dyk, Deirdre (2007 Style & design issue). "Who's Holding the Handbag?". Time. Time Inc. Retrieved 2008-08-14.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ 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.
- ^ Kroll, Betsy (2007-02-27). "Pointe Guard". Time. Time Inc. Retrieved 2008-08-14.
- ^ Betts, Kate (2007 Style & design issue). "Style & Design: Global Luxury Survey". Time. Time Inc. Retrieved 2008-08-14.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Prabhakar, Hitha (2007-03-14). "Tastemakers: Fashion Design". Forbes. Forbes.com LLC. Retrieved 2008-08-15.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Letter to Fashion Community 25 August 2008". The Council of Fashion Designers of America.
- ^ "Tory Burch and Kerry Washington". In Style. Time Inc. Retrieved 2008-08-15.
- ^ "Designers Guest Star on 'Gossip Girl'". wwd.com. Retrieved 2009-08-13.
- ^ "Tory Burch at Neiman Marcus".
- ^ "Tory Burch at Bloomingdales".
- ^ "Designer Tory Burch Sells Minority Stake". The New York Times. 2009-07-24. Retrieved 2010-05-25.
- ^ [www.toryburchfoundation.org Tory Burch Foundation website]
- ^ a b Burch, Tory (2009-09-17). "Guest Post: Tory Burch on Helping Small Businesses". Fortune. Retrieved 2010-01-10.
- ^ Harman, Gina (2009-09-18). "Tory Burch Raises Awareness and Funds for U.S. Microfinance". AccionUSA. Retrieved 2010-01-10.
- ^ "Defying the Downturn". CNBC.
- ^ Chan, Jennifer (2008-05-12). "Tory Totale". Fashion Week Daily. Retrieved 2010-01-10.
- ^ American Ballet Theater (2007-04-23). "Pianist Lang Lang to perform at American Ballet Theatre's opening night". American Ballet Theater. Retrieved 2008-09-22.
- ^ Bryan, Meredith (2008-08-12). "Tory returns". The New York Observer. Observer Media Group. Retrieved 2008-08-15.
- ^ Boncompagni, Tatiana (2006-11-05). "Could You Call Them 'Business Climbers'?". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved 2008-08-14.
External links