Tory Burch Explained

Birth Name:Tory Robinson
Tory Burch
Birth Date:17 June 1966
Birth Place:Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Education:University of Pennsylvania (BA)
Occupation:Fashion designer
Chairman and Chief Creative Officer of Tory Burch LLC[1]
Spouse:

Tory Burch (née Robinson; born June 17, 1966) is an American fashion designer and businesswoman. She is the executive chairman and chief creative officer of her own brand, Tory Burch LLC. She was listed as the 88th most powerful woman in the world by Forbes in 2020.[2]

Early life and education

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

Her father was a wealthy investor who inherited a stock exchange seat and a paper cup company.[4] Burch is Jewish on her mother's side.[5] [6]

Burch attended the Agnes Irwin School in Rosemont, Pennsylvania, where she was a friend of jewelry designer Kara Ross.[7] Her first job was at Benetton in the King of Prussia mall. She then attended the University of Pennsylvania, where she majored in art history and graduated in 1988. Burch is a member of the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority.

Career

Early work

After graduating from college, Tory moved to New York City, where she worked for Zoran, a Yugoslavian designer,[4] followed by Harper's Bazaar magazine. She then moved into public relations and advertising positions at Vera Wang,[4] [8] Polo Ralph Lauren, and Loewe, when Narciso Rodriguez was there.[9]

Fashion label

See main article: Tory Burch (company). Burch began her fashion label – "TRB by Tory Burch", later known as Tory Burch – in February 2004, launching it with a retail store in Manhattan's Nolita district.[10] [11] In 2023, it had grown to include more than 370 stores worldwide;[12] the fashion line is also carried at over 3,000 department and specialty stores worldwide.[13] [14] [15]

In 2015, Burch also introduced a separate performance activewear line, Tory Sport.[16] [17] [18]

Awards and recognition

In 2005, Burch won the Rising Star Award for Best New Retail Concept from the Fashion Group International.[19] In 2007, she won the Accessory Brand Launch of the year award at the Accessories Council Excellence Awards.[20] In 2008, she won the Council of Fashion Designers of America award for Accessories Designer of the Year.[21]

From 2010 to 2020, Burch was included on Forbes list of The World's 100 Most Powerful Women six times.[22]

In 2015, Burch was included on Working Mother's list of the 50 Most Powerful Moms,[23] and she received the Breast Cancer Research Foundation's Sandra Taub Humanitarian Award.[24] [25]

In November 2019, Burch was named a Glamour Woman of the Year.[26] In November 2020, she was featured in a cover story in Forbes magazine on how her fashion company navigated the COVID-19 pandemic.[27]

In 2021, she was named an inaugural member of the advisory council for the Smithsonian American Women's History Museum in Washington, DC.[28]

In 2022, the Wharton School's Jay H. Baker Retailing Center and Retail Leaders Circle honored her with its inaugural Retail Excellence Award in recognition of her industry leadership and support of women entrepreneurs,[29] she received the Parsons Table Award that, "recognizes individuals who have made a noteworthy impact on the design industry and have inspired our students,"[30] from the Parsons School of Design,[31] and she received the CARE Impact Award for Women's Inspirational Leadership from CARE International.[32]

In 2023, the CFDA Fashion Awards nominated Burch for Womenswear Designer of the Year,[33] [34] and Harper's Bazaar named her Designer of the Year.[35] [36]

In 2024, she was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine.[37] and her company was included on Times list of the 100 Most Influential Companies.[38] Also in 2024, she was honored as WWD Women's Designer of the Year.[39]

In 2025, she received the SCAD Étoile Award from Savannah College of Art and Design.[40]

Additional posts

Burch is on the board of directors of the Council of Fashion Designers of America,[41] and is a sustaining member of the administrative board of the Society of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.[42] She is an honorary trustee of the Barnes Foundation.[43]

She is a member of the advisory council of the Smithsonian American Women's History Museum,[44] and a member of the advisory board of the Jay H. Baker Retailing Center at the Wharton School of Business.[45] She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.[46]

Philanthropy

In 2009, Burch founded the Tory Burch Foundation, which supports the economic empowerment of women in the U.S. through small business loans, mentoring, and entrepreneurial education.[47] The foundation offers a fellows program providing women entrepreneurs with business-education grants, mentoring, and networking opportunities.[48] [49]

In 2014, the foundation launched Elizabeth Street Capital, an initiative with Bank of America, to provide women entrepreneurs with access to low-cost loans and mentoring support.[50] [51] [52] The initiative, originally named for the location of the first Tory Burch boutique, is now known as the Tory Burch Foundation Capital Program.[53] By the end of 2023, it had disbursed $100 million in affordable loans[54] to more than 5,500 women entrepreneurs.[55]

In April 2014, the Obama administration named Burch an inaugural member of the Presidential Ambassadors for Global Entrepreneurship, a group of successful American businesspeople committed to developing the next generation of entrepreneurs in the U.S. and around the world.[56] [57]

In March 2017, to coincide with International Women's Day and Women's History Month, the Tory Burch Foundation launched Embrace Ambition, a global campaign to address the double standard that exists around ambition, which is often seen as a positive trait in men and a negative one in women.[58] [59] In April 2018, Burch and her foundation hosted the first Embrace Ambition Summit, an all-day event supporting women's ambition and examining stereotypes about women and ambition in the workplace, at Lincoln Center in New York and also viewable on the Tory Burch Foundation website.[60] [61] [62] [63]

In 2021, Burch announced the creation of an endowed scholarship fund at Parsons School of Design with a gift that will be matched to establish a $1,000,000 financial-aid fund.[64]

Controversy

In 2017, a Facebook Community called La Blouse Roumaine, which promoted Romanian traditional craftsmanship, pointed that an early 20th century Romanian coat displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York was virtually identical to a coat in Burch's Resort 2018 collection which was initially marketed as a garment inspired by Africa. The Facebook group also pointed out that other pieces from the same collection had many similarities with Romanian garments, including the sweaters worn by the Romania national rugby union team at the 2015 Rugby World Cup.[65] Burch acknowledged the similarity and responded: "In our effort to summarize the collection, we missed a reference to a beautiful Romanian coat which inspired one of the pieces. Whether it’s Romania, Uganda or France, we are a brand that strives to celebrate, honor and be inclusive of women from all countries and cultures, in the broadest way possible".[66]

In March 2021, controversy rose over a jumper designed by Burch which closely resembled a traditional fishermen garment made in Póvoa de Varzim, Portugal. The stylist had initially marketed it as a 'Baja-inspired tunic', in reference to Baja California, a state in Mexico. Pictures of the piece led to criticism from Portuguese internet users and the mayor of Póvoa de Varzim. Burch issued an apology in her social media and changed the description of the piece to "Póvoa de Varzim-inspired sweater".[67] Shortly afterwards, the Portuguese government announced its intention to take legal action and demand compensation for the heritage of Póvoa de Varzim, after which Burch removed the sweater from her website.[68] In November 2021, the municipality of Póvoa de Varzim announced that a settlement with Burch had been reached out of court.[69]

Pottery pieces created by Burch were also criticised as being virtually identical to Bordallo Pinheiro ceramics designs, which led to a protest from Bordallo Pinheiro owners Vista Alegre.[70] [71]

Internet users also noted that Burch's logo is similar to that of a Portuguese stylist, Nuno Gama, and the Order of Christ Cross, a historical Portuguese insignia.[72]

Personal life

In 1993, she married William Macklowe, son of real-estate tycoon Harry B. Macklowe, and was divorced within a year.[73] In 1996, she married J. Christopher Burch,[74] an investor in Internet Capital Group, a venture capital firm founded by Walter Buckley and Ken Fox. They have three sons: Henry, Nicholas "Nick", and Sawyer. She also has three stepdaughters from his previous marriage. They divorced in 2006. She continues to use his last name, and for some time continued to live with her children in their New York City apartment.[75]

She dated Lance Armstrong in 2007.[76] [77] She was later linked to Lyor Cohen.[78] In 2014, Burch began dating Pierre-Yves Roussel, the former chairman and CEO of LVMH. In 2016, they got engaged,[79] and in November 2018, they married. He became CEO of Burch's company in early 2019, and Burch became executive chairman and chief creative officer.[80] [81]

Forbes estimated that she had a net worth at $1.0 billion in 2013,[82] which declined to approximately $850 million by 2019. In November 2024, her net worth was reported to be $1.0 billion again.[83]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: About Us . ToryBurch.com . January 22, 2019.
  2. Web site: The World's 100 Most Powerful Women: #73 Tory Burch . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20220920171927/https://www.forbes.com/profile/tory-burch/?list=power-women . September 20, 2022 . December 25, 2020 . Forbes.
  3. Web site: How Tory Burch Became A Fashion Billionaire In Less Than A Decade. Ashley. Lutz. . February 11, 2014.
  4. Web site: An Empire Of Her Own. Shnayerson. Michael. February 1, 2007. Vanity Fair. October 18, 2014.
  5. Web site: New York City - Examining The 'Halacha' If Jewish Fashion Mogul Needs A 'Get' . Vos is Neias . November 2, 2008.
  6. Tory Burch's Ex Factor. Vanessa. Grigoriadis. . December 2012.
  7. Web site: Rock star ascending: Main Line-bred jewelry maker Kara Ross. O'Halloran, Caroline. March 18, 2011. March 26, 2013. Mainline Media News. dead. https://archive.today/20130411071537/http://www.mainlinemedianews.com/articles/2011/03/18/people/flair/doc4d83eb6e138c9433680449.txt?viewmode=fullstory. April 11, 2013. mdy-all.
  8. Tory's Turn. https://web.archive.org/web/20071113221252/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1664387,00.html. dead. November 13, 2007. August 14, 2008. September 21, 2007. Time. Kroll, Betsy.
  9. Web site: First Person - Tory Burch Says Work Hard, Think Long Term and Be Patient . July 3, 2013 . September 10, 2012 . Tommye . Fitzpatrick . . July 9, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130709023000/http://www.businessoffashion.com/2012/09/first-person-tory-burch-says-work-hard-think-long-term-and-be-patient.html . dead .
  10. Tory Burch takes on Ralph Lauren veteran as co-CEO. Wahba. Phil. September 25, 2014. Fortune. October 29, 2014.
  11. Agins, Teri. "How Tory Burch Found Her Stride". The Wall Street Journal. February 1, 2008.
  12. News: Changemakers Advisory Board: Tory Burch . . October 3, 2023 . April 5, 2024.
  13. News: Why one exec passed up the chance to be president of this $127 billion company. Clifford. Catherine . May 12, 2017. CNBC. May 17, 2017.
  14. News: Exclusive: Tory Burch on life 'Perpetually' out of her comfort zone and why big risks pay big dividends. July 23, 2014. July 23, 2014. Portillo. Caroline McMillan. Columbus Business First.
  15. News: Empowerment in fashion for Tory Burch. January 29, 2013. January 25, 2013. Zinko. Carolyne. San Francisco Chronicle.
  16. http://www.torysport.com/ Tory Sport
  17. News: What Tory Burch Did Next. Sherman. Lauren. September 17, 2015. The Business of Fashion. September 19, 2015.
  18. Tory Burch on Her New Sports Line, Finding Love, and Redefining Success. Haskell. Rob. July 23, 2015. Vogue. September 19, 2015. September 14, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150914040830/http://www.vogue.com/13279848/tory-burch-workout-clothes-tory-sport. dead.
  19. Web site: 2025-04-18 . Tory Burch BoF 500 The People Shaping the Global Fashion Industry . 2025-06-24 . The Business of Fashion . en.
  20. Web site: Tory Burch and Kerry Washington. August 15, 2008. InStyle. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20081009135040/http://www.instyle.com/instyle/parties/party/0,,20158510_20363599,00.html. October 9, 2008. mdy-all.
  21. Web site: Letter to Fashion Community 25 August 2008 . The Council of Fashion Designers of America.
  22. Web site: Lockwood . Lisa . 2020-12-08 . Tory Burch Makes Forbes' List of The World's Most Powerful Women . 2025-06-24 . WWD . en-US.
  23. News: Victoria Beckham, Tory Burch, Jenna Lyons Named On '50 Most Powerful Moms Of 2015' List. https://archive.today/20160925071851/http://www.fashiontimes.com/articles/20588/20150505/victoria-beckham-tory-burch-jenna-lyons-named-50-powerful-moms.htm. dead. September 25, 2016. Drain. Kelsey. May 5, 2015. Fashion Times. September 19, 2015.
  24. Web site: Symposium and Awards Luncheon October 29, 2015. BCRFcure.org. 21 November 2014. Breast Cancer Research Foundation. November 6, 2015. September 23, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150923070512/http://www.bcrfcure.org/events/symposium-and-awards-luncheon. dead.
  25. Web site: The Breast Cancer Research Foundation Celebrates $48.5 Million Commitment to Breast Cancer Research. Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Breast Cancer Research Foundation. November 2, 2015. PR Newswire. November 6, 2015.
  26. https://www.glamour.com/story/tory-burch-women-of-the-year-2019-speech "Tory Burch Has a Message For Women Everywhere: ‘Embrace Your Ambition’; Glamour; November 12, 2019.
  27. News: Inside Tory Burch's Covid Survival Sketchbook . Deniz . Çam . Forbes . November 30, 2020 . December 25, 2020.
  28. News: Billie Jean King and Tory Burch named to board of proposed Women's History Museum . McGlone . Peggy . . August 20, 2021 . October 7, 2022.
  29. News: Tory Burch Receives Retail Excellence Award From Wharton's Baker Retailing Center and Retail Leaders Circle . . Lisa . Lockwood . March 1, 2022 . April 19, 2022.
  30. Web site: May 23, 2022 . Parsons Benefit . August 26, 2022 . The New School.
  31. The Parsons Benefit Returns Honoring Tory Burch, Lauren Santo Domingo, Darren Walker, and Kehinde Wiley . Eliseé . Browchuk . . May 24, 2022 . August 26, 2022.
  32. Web site: CARE 5th Annual Impact Awards Honors Tory Burch, Christy Turlington Burns, Dr. Margaret A. Hamburg, Chang K. Park and President Samia Suluhu Hassan . . 9 November 2022 . 30 March 2023 .
  33. News: Kennedy . Joan . Luar, Khaite and Tory Burch Named CFDA Fashion Awards Nominees . October 6, 2023 . . September 14, 2023.
  34. Web site: Drumroll…The Honourees And Nominees For The 2023 CFDA Fashion Awards Have Been Announced . 2 April 2024 . Grazia Magazine.
  35. Women of the Year Awards 2023: the winners portfolio . April 26, 2024 . Harper's Bazaar . November 7, 2023.
  36. Slater . Lydia . The Awards issue: Tory Burch . April 26, 2024 . Harper's Bazaar . November 16, 2023.
  37. Watts . Naomi . Naomi Watts . April 17, 2024 . Time 100: Tory Burch . Time.
  38. Steinberg . Don . Tory Burch: A fashion reinvention . . June 12, 2024 . May 30, 2024.
  39. Web site: Mercer . Emily . How Tory Burch Has Embraced Change: 2024 WWD Honors Women's Designer of the Year . . November 16, 2024 . October 28, 2024 . WWD.
  40. Web site: SCAD FASH Museum's Jeanne Lanvin Show Gives the Designer Her Much-Deserved Due. W Magazine . 3 June 2025 . Carolyn Twersky Winkler. April 9, 2025.
  41. Web site: About CFDA . CFDA.com . November 11, 2025.
  42. Web site: The Society of MSK Administrative Board . Society of Memorial Sloan Kettering . November 11, 2025.
  43. Web site: Honorary Trustees . . November 11, 2025.
  44. Web site: Advisory Council . . November 11, 2025.
  45. Web site: Advisory Board . BakerRetail.Wharton.UPenn.edu . November 11, 2025.
  46. http://www.cfr.org/about/membership/roster.html?letter=b Membership Roster – Letter B
  47. Web site: Pitch Perfect Isn't Possible — But Get Up Anyways. May 30, 2013. April 15, 2013. Hale, Katie. The Grindstone. https://web.archive.org/web/20140407070133/http://www.thegrindstone.com/2013/04/15/career-management/tory-burch-foundation-pipeline-fellowship-pitch-summit/. April 7, 2014. dead.
  48. News: Stych . Anne . Tory Burch Foundation expands fellowships to include 50 entrepreneurs . May 15, 2020 . . May 23, 2019.
  49. News: Weisul . Kimberly . How Tory Burch's Foundation Is Working to Get More Money, and Confidence, to Women Entrepreneurs . May 15, 2020 . . March 7, 2019.
  50. News: Davis . Shoshana . Tory Burch joins with Bank of America to help female entrepreneurs . May 15, 2020 . . January 28, 2014.
  51. News: Portillo . Caroline McMillan . illionaire designer Tory Burch says it pays to be generous, scrappy and a little stubborn . May 15, 2020 . . July 18, 2014.
  52. News: Verveer . Melanne . The Other Gender Gap: How Women Entrepreneurs Are Getting Screwed Out Of Funding . May 15, 2020 . . May 7, 2014.
  53. News: Tory Burch Foundation and Bank of America Double Investment in Capital Program Supporting Women Business Owners. Economics Week. April 29, 2016. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20161008194856/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-450440267.html. October 8, 2016. mdy-all.
  54. News: Quihuiz . Ariana . September 22, 2023 . Everything You've Ever Wanted to Know About Tory Burch . InStyle . https://web.archive.org/web/20230922215515/https://www.instyle.com/who-is-tory-burch-7973804 . September 22, 2023.
  55. News: Collings . Richard . Tory Burch Foundation unveils finance tool for women founders . December 24, 2023 . Axios . March 28, 2023.
  56. Web site: April 10, 2014. Announcing President Obama's New Ambassadors for Global Entrepreneurship. June 3, 2020. National Archives. whitehouse.gov. en.
  57. Web site: Robehmed. Natalie. Obama Names Tory Burch, Reid Hoffman As Ambassadors For Global Entrepreneurship. June 3, 2020. Forbes. en.
  58. News: When Did 'Ambition' Become a Dirty Word?. The New York Times. Bernstein, Jacob. March 1, 2017. March 21, 2017.
  59. News: Fashion Mogul Tory Burch Talks Ambitious Women And Equal Pay. Forbes. O'Connor, Clare . March 8, 2017. March 21, 2017.
  60. News: Sundberg . Emily . How I Get It Done: Tory Burch . June 13, 2018 . . April 23, 2018.
  61. News: Mehta . Stephanie . Tory Burch Wants Women To Know It's OK To Be Ambitious . June 13, 2018 . . April 23, 2018.
  62. Minutaglio . Rose . Tory Burch Talks Ambition, Pay Parity, and the #MeToo Movement . June 13, 2018 . . May 4, 2018.
  63. News: Kim . Leena . Inside Tory Burch's Embrace Ambition Summit . June 13, 2018 . . April 26, 2018.
  64. News: Tory Burch and Parsons partner on new scholarship fund . FashionNetwork.com . Jennifer . Braun . October 26, 2021 . March 12, 2022.
  65. Web site: Sterling . Vivianne . June 12, 2017 . Is Tory Burch's Resort 2018 Collection a Plagiarism? . dead . September 19, 2022 . beautips.
  66. News: Grigoras . Alina . Romanian traditional coat, copied by designer Tory Burch . September 19, 2022 . Romania Journal . June 13, 2017.
  67. News: Petter . Olivia . Tory Burch 'acknowledges mistake' over jumper labelled as Mexican: 'We celebrate all cultures' . September 19, 2022 . The Independent . March 26, 2021.
  68. News: Donn . Natasha . Portuguese State takes on US fashion designer over "abusive appropriation" of fisherman's sweater . September 19, 2022 . Portugal Resident . March 26, 2021.
  69. Web site: Câmara da Póvoa do Varzim aceita acordo com estilista norte-americana que copiou camisola poveira . Sol . September 19, 2022 . November 10, 2021.
  70. News: Tory Burch: Há mais produtos com "inspiração" em Portugal para além das camisolas poveiras . September 19, 2022 . M80 . March 26, 2021.
  71. News: Sousa . Tomásia . Bordallo Pinheiro reage à polémica com Tory Burch . September 19, 2022 . Cultura Ao Minuto . March 26, 2021.
  72. Web site: Tory Burch também veio a Portugal buscar a imagem da sua marca (e a vítima é Nuno Gama) . NiT . September 19, 2022 . March 27, 2021.
  73. Web site: Tory Burch. January 28, 2010. 2008. Davé, Urja. https://web.archive.org/web/20100130232452/http://pabook.libraries.psu.edu/palitmap/bios/Burch__Tory.html. January 30, 2010.
  74. Web site: Tory Burch's Philadelphia. August 14, 2008. August 1, 2008. WWDLifestyle. Fitzsimons, Amanda.
  75. Web site: Tory Burch. August 14, 2008. New York. September 8, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080908061952/http://nymag.com/fashion/fashionshows/designers/bios/toryburch/. dead.
  76. Web site: Lance Armstrong, Tory Burch Break Up. https://web.archive.org/web/20071011192110/http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20130255,00.html. dead. October 11, 2007. August 14, 2008. October 3, 2007. People. Silverman, Stephen M..
  77. News: It's Not About the Bike. August 14, 2008. June 22, 2008. The New York Times. Salkin, Allen.
  78. News: Scene In The Tropics: The Hoff bypasses booze, but not the photo op. April 17, 2009. April 5, 2009. The Miami Herald. Abravanel, Lesley.
  79. Web site: Friedman, Vanessa . January 4, 2016 . Tory Burch and Pierre-Yves Roussel Become Fashion's Newest Power Couple . January 4, 2016 . The New York Times.
  80. News: Sherman . Lauren . Tory Burch Names Pierre-Yves Roussel CEO . December 16, 2018 . . December 11, 2018.
  81. News: Friedman . Vanessa . When Your New C.E.O. Is Also Your New Husband . December 16, 2018 . The New York Times . December 11, 2018.
  82. News: Fashion Tycoon Tory Burch Becomes A Billionaire (Thanks, In Part, To $200 Ballet Flats). Forbes. O'Connor. Clare. January 7, 2013. January 3, 2013.
  83. Web site: Profile Tory Burch. June 3, 2020. Forbes. en.

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