Christopher Bailey (fashion designer)
Christopher Bailey | |
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File:Christopher Bailey 2014.jpg | |
Born | 11 May 1971 (44 years) Halifax, West Riding of Yorkshire, England |
Nationality | British |
Education | University of Westminster |
Occupation(s) | Chief creative and chief executive officer, Burberry Group |
Awards | Honorary Fellow, Royal College of Art 2003 Designer of the Year, British Fashion Awards 2005 |
Christopher Paul Bailey MBE (born 11 May 1971) is the Chief Creative and chief executive officer of Burberry, and is responsible for creating and delivering the company's global vision and business strategy, including overseeing collections, brand imagery, product design, creative marketing, architecture, consumer technology and digital innovation.[1] He took up the role of Chief Creative and chief executive officer on 1 May 2014, following the departure of former CEO Angela Ahrendts.[2]
Career
Bailey,[3] was born in Yorkshire, the son of a carpenter and a window dresser for Marks and Spencer.[4] He graduated from the Royal College of Art with a Master's degree in 1994 and later received an honorary fellowship from the College in 2004[5] and, in 2013, an honorary doctorate.[6] From 1994 to 1996 he was the Womenswear Designer at Donna Karan and Senior Designer of Womenswear at Gucci in Milan from 1996 to 2001. He joined Burberry in May 2001 as design director and became Creative Director in 2004, and Chief Creative Officer in November 2009.[4][7]
On 15 October 2013 Bailey was named as the next CEO of Burberry following Angela Ahrendts' departure to Apple in mid-2014.[8] Bailey took up the role of Chief Creative and chief executive officer on 1 May 2014.
Bailey is credited with transforming the fortunes of the company,[4] turning it into the luxury industry's digital leader and overseeing a reinvigoration of the company's design.[9] Bailey masterminded the design of Burberry's largest store, 121 Regent Street in London, opened in 2012, a bricks-and-mortar incarnation of the brand's website.[10] He also oversaw the design and development of the 160,000-square-foot (15,000 m2) Burberry Global Headquarters at Horseferry House in London, opened in 2009.[citation needed]
In 2008, Bailey, alongside Angela Ahrendts, established the Burberry Foundation, dedicated to helping young people realise their dreams and potential through the power of their creativity. The Burberry Foundation invests in select charities focused on supporting young people in the key cities in regions where the majority of Burberry employees live and work, and where they are able to participate in volunteer roles.[11]
Bailey is also mentor to emerging British creative talent from UK institutions including the Royal College of Art and the University of Huddersfield.[12]
Personal life
While in Milan, Bailey met and began dating Geert Cloet, brand designer for Miu Miu. He split his time between his home in Milan and England. In 2004, Cloet was diagnosed with brain cancer. He and Bailey moved to Yorkshire to be near Bailey's family. Cloet died the next year.
He has been in a relationship with British actor Simon Woods since 2009.[13][14]
In May 2014 he became the first openly gay executive among FTSE 100 corporations.[15]
Awards
2013 – Menswear Designer of the Year 2013, British Fashion Awards (UK)[16]
2013 – Honorary Doctorate from Royal College of Art, London[6]
2011 – Honorary Doctorate from Sheffield Hallam University, Yorkshire[17]
2010 – International Award, Council of Fashion Designers of America[18]
2009 – Designer of the Year, British Fashion Awards (UK)[19]
2009 – Honorary Patron of the University Philosophical Society, Trinity College, Dublin
2009 – Appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in HM Queen Elizabeth II Birthday 2009 Honours List for Services to the Fashion Industry[5]
2008 – Menswear Designer of the Year 2008, British Fashion Awards (UK)
2007 – Menswear Designer of the Year 2007, British Fashion Awards (UK)
2007 – Honorary Doctorate of Science from the University of Huddersfield, Yorkshire
2006 – Honorary Doctorate from the University of Westminster, where Bailey graduated from with a BA in 1990
2005 – Designer of the Year, British Fashion Awards (UK)
2004 – Honorary Fellowship from the Royal College of Art where Bailey graduated from with an MA in 1994[5]
References
- ^ http://www.burberryplc.com/file.axd?pointerid=5df5ff0369a2473bb76cd31ab87f6d29
- ^ http://www.burberryplc.com/media_centre/press_releases/2014/board-change_2
- ^ "The Class of 2009: Stylemaker of the year: Christopher Bailey". Out Magazine. Retrieved 7 December 2009.
- ^ a b c McDowell, Colin (6 September 2009). "Christopher Bailey: Burberry's golden boy". The Times. Retrieved 7 December 2009.
- ^ a b c Alexander, Hilary (7 December 2009). "Christopher Bailey collects his MBE". Telegraph. Retrieved 7 December 2009.
- ^ a b Sowray, Bibby (28 June 2013). "Burberry's Christopher Bailey to receive honorary doctorate". The Telegraph. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
- ^ Jones, Dolly (11 November 2009). "All Hail Bailey". Vogue. Retrieved 7 December 2009.
- ^ WWD Staff (25 February 2014). "Anna Wintour, Christopher Bailey Spotted in London". WWD. Retrieved 26 February 2014.
- ^ Roberts, Andrew (9 April 2014). "Burberry Designer CEO Shows Shift to Creatives in Luxury". Bloomberg. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
- ^ Irwin, Rosamund (14 September 2012). "Top of the Shops". ES Magazine. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
- ^ http://www.burberryplc.com/corporate_responsibility/burberry_foundation
- ^ Barton, Laura (4 September 2013). "Burberry's Christopher Bailey on his obsession with music". Guardian. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
- ^ The Tatler List, Chistopher Bailey
- ^ Daily Mail 31 August 2012
- ^ Stanford Graduate School of Business, Former BP CEO John Browne: Why Coming Out is Good Business, 24 September 2014.
- ^ Jones, Nina (2 December 2013). "Christopher Kane, Miuccia Prada Among Honorees at British Fashion Awards". WWD. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
- ^ Alexander, Ella (10 March 2011). "Bailey is given honorary doctorate". Vogue.co.uk. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
- ^ Alexander, Hilary (8 June 2010). "Christopher Bailey wins CFDA international award in New york". Telegraph. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
- ^ Alexander, Hilary (9 December 2009). "British Fashion Awards: Christopher Bailey named designer of the year". Telegraph. Retrieved 10 December 2010.
External links
- 1971 births
- Living people
- People from Halifax, West Yorkshire
- Alumni of the University of Westminster
- Alumni of the Royal College of Art
- English chief executives
- English fashion designers
- Menswear designers
- 21st-century English businesspeople
- 21st-century British businesspeople
- LGBT businesspeople from the United Kingdom
- LGBT fashion designers
- LGBT people from England
- Gay men