J. Christopher Burch
J. Christopher Burch | |
|---|---|
 Burch in 2012 | |
| Born | March 28, 1953 |
| Education | Ithaca College |
| Occupations | Founder, Burch Creative Capital |
| Known for | Fashion industry businessman |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 6 |
J. Christopher Burch (born March 28, 1953) is an American businessman, founder and CEO of Burch Creative Capital,[1][2][3] and co-founder of Tory Burch LLC.
Early life
[edit]Burch was raised in Wayne, Pennsylvania.[4][5] His mother, Robin Sinkler,[6][7] was from a Philadelphia Main Line family and his father, John Walter Burch, owned a mining equipment and supplies company.[8] Burch attended Tilton School, an independent prep school in Tilton, New Hampshire. He graduated from Tilton in 1972, and then attended Ithaca College.
Career
[edit]Fashion industry
[edit]In 1976, while an undergraduate at Ithaca, Burch and his brother Robert started Eagle Eye apparel with a $2,000 investment, buying sweaters for $10 and selling them for $15.[9][10] They produced a brand of "preppy" sweaters which were sold door-to-door on campus. The operation soon expanded to other campuses, and, eventually, to retail stores.[11] Over the next decade, the company expanded to $140 million in sales[9] and a national distribution footprint, including more than 50 of its own retail stores. The company was partially sold to Swire Group, in 1989, and entirely in 1998, in a deal that valued the brand at $60 million.[12]
In 2004, Burch helped his then-wife launch the Tory Burch fashion label,[13] and served as co-Chairman of the company.[14][15] He also owned 28.3%, selling half of his shares in December 2012,[16] when the company was estimated to be worth $3.5 billion.[17] In 2008, he established J. Christopher Capital LLC, later renamed Burch Creative Capital.[13] In 2011, he launched C. Wonder, an apparel, accessories and home decor retailer. The launch of this company sparked a bitter and highly-publicized legal battle with Tory Burch; the matter was settled out of court in 2012.[18] In 2015, C. Wonder filed for bankruptcy and closed its stores; soon afterward, the brand was sold to Xcel Brands.[19]
Real estate
[edit]In 2004, Burch partnered with architect Philippe Starck and hotelier Alan Faena to develop the Faena Hotel+Universe in Buenos Aires. The investment into the building, which was built in 1902 as a grain storage facility, was in excess of $100 million.[20]
In 2006, Burch founded J.B. Christopher, a supplier of construction materials to real estate developers.[21] In 2011, Burch and his partner Austin Hearst completed a $19 million luxury home development in Nantucket.[22]
In 2013, in a partnership with James McBride, Burch acquired the Nihiwatu resort on the Indonesian island of Sumba.[23] In 2015, after a $30 million investment, the pair opened the resort under the name NIHI.[24]
Other investments
[edit]In 1993, Burch was a producer for the feature-length romantic comedy film Watch It.[25] He was an early investor in the IPO for Internet Capital Group,[13] and invested in Aliph Technologies, Powermat, and Poppin.[26][11][27] In 2014, he led the investment in BaubleBar;[28] that year he also partnered with Ellen DeGeneres to launch her lifestyles collection, ED by Ellen.[29]
He has also been involved with the brands Staud, Voss, Win Brands, Rappi, Danielle Guizio, Solid & Striped, Urbanic, Thursday Boots, SuperOrdinary, Barber Surgeon Guild, and Jawbone[13][30]
Personal life
[edit]In 1982, Burch married Susan Cole.[8] They had three daughters and divorced at an unknown date.
In 1996, he married the fashion designer Tory Robinson[5][31][32] with whom he had three sons.[4] They divorced in 2006.[33]
Burch is a past president of The Pierre Hotel Co-op Board,[34] and a past board member of Guggenheim Partners, and The Continuum Group.[citation needed]
From 1982 to 1985, Burch sat on the Board of Trustees of his alma mater, Tilton School. In 2013, Burch donated $1.3 million to the school.[35]
References
[edit]- ↑ Luxury Daily: "Tory Burch cofounder: Tailoring in-store experience vital for brands" by Tricia Carr May 2, 2012
- ↑ Young, Vicki M. (1 August 2013). "Burch Creative Capital's Coolcore Files Lawsuit". WWD. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
- ↑ Burch Creative Capital website
- 1 2 Vanity Fair: "An Empire of Her Own" By Michael Shnayerson February 2007
- 1 2 Vanity Fair: "Tory Burch's Ex Factor" By Vanessa Grigoriadis December 2012
- ↑ Philadelphia Inquirer: "John W. Burch, 82, veteran and athlete" By Gayle Ronan Sims October 03, 2007
- ↑ Main Line Media News March 7, 2012
- 1 2 New York Times: "Susan Cole Is Married" August 29, 1982
- 1 2 Ithaca College: "The School of Business Starts Business Idea Competition Entrepreneur and Ithaca alum Chris Burch '76 is giving students the opportunity to develop their own businesses" retrieved January 5, 2013
- ↑ Jan Schaffer (July 24, 1983). "Forces behind Eagle's Eye". Boca Raton News. Retrieved January 25, 2013.
- 1 2 Keith Albow (April 19, 2012). "Did ADD help Chris Burch in billion-dollar company success?". Fox News. Retrieved January 25, 2013.
- ↑ Josh Patner (October 3, 2004). "Don't Call Her Socialite". New York Times.
- 1 2 3 4 Richard Collings (June 15, 2012). "A Q&A with J. Christopher Burch: On startups and style". The Deal Magazine. Archived from the original on August 6, 2012. Retrieved January 24, 2013.
- ↑ "As Chris Burch Seeks Tory Burch's Ouster at Her Own Brand, Diane von Furstenberg and Anna Wintour Condemn His "Nasty . . . Sabotaging" and Absenteeism". Vanity Fair. 1 November 2012. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
- ↑ Ashley Lutz (January 3, 2013). "How Tory Burch Became A Fashion Billionaire In Less Than A Decade". Business Insider. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
- ↑ Patricia Sellers (January 22, 2013). "Tory Burch talks about choosing great investors". CNN. Archived from the original on February 22, 2014. Retrieved January 25, 2013.
- ↑ Ashley Lutz (January 9, 2013). "Tory Burch's Ex-Husband Disses Her Right After The End Of Their Bitter Lawsuit". Business Insider. Retrieved January 25, 2013.
- ↑ Eric Wilson (January 1, 2013). "Agreement Announced in Tory Burch Case". The New York Times. Retrieved March 12, 2013.
- ↑ Vicki M. Young (Aug 5, 2015). "Brad Goreski Named Creative Director of C. Wonder". Women's Wear Daily. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
- ↑ Adriana Schettini (December 5, 2004). "Alan Faena: el duque en sus dominios". La Nación. Archived from the original on January 23, 2014. Retrieved January 24, 2013.
- ↑ Daria Meoli (October 2, 2012). "An Entrepreneurial Addiction: An Interview with Christopher Burch". NY Reporter. Retrieved January 24, 2013.
- ↑ "House of the Day: Nantucket Retreat". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved January 24, 2013.
- ↑ "Indonesian Resort Nihiwatu Announces New Ownership". Luxury Travel Advisor. March 20, 2013. Retrieved April 2, 2013.
- ↑ Mary Hanbury (July 25, 2017). "Take a Tour of the World's Best Hotel, A 5-Star Resort Built by Fashion Mogul Chris Burch on a Remote Indonesian Island". Business Insider.
- ↑ Vincent Canby (March 26, 1993). "Watch It (1993): Review/Film". New York Times. Retrieved January 25, 2013.
- ↑ Cotten Timberlake (February 10, 2010). "Tory Burch's Plan to Open 100 Stores Is No 'Vanity Project'". Bloomberg. Retrieved January 25, 2013.
- ↑ Seth Lubove (February 15, 2013). "Chris Burch Becomes a Billionaire as Fashion Stock Surge". Bloomberg News. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
- ↑ Michael J. De La Merced (July 29, 2014). "BaubleBar, an Upstart Jewelry Seller, Raises $10 Million". New York Times. Retrieved September 11, 2014.
- ↑ Emily Wick (July 8, 2014). "Ellen DeGeneres wants to furnish your living room with new lifestyle collection". Today Show. Retrieved September 11, 2014.
- ↑ "Burch Creative Capital". Burch Creative Capital. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
- ↑ The Fortune Hunters: Dazzling Women and the Men They Married By Charlotte Hays p. 167
- ↑ New York Times Dealbook: "In Unusual Move, Delaware Supreme Court Rebukes a Judge" By PETER LATTMAN November 9, 2012
- ↑ Girigoriadis, Vanessa (November 14, 2012). "TORY BURCH'S EX FACTOR". Vanity Fair. Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on February 12, 2015. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
- ↑ Alexei Barrionuevo (August 23, 2012). "The Most Pampering, the Highest Fees". New York Times. Retrieved January 25, 2013.
- ↑ "NH school alumnus gives $1.3M gift". Boston Globe. Associated Press. April 10, 2013. Retrieved April 10, 2013.[dead link]