Tory Burch
Encyclopedia
Tory Burch 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
Agnes Irwin School
The Agnes Irwin School is an all-girls', non-sectarian, day school for students in grades PreK-12. The School has been a leader in girls' education since 1869, when it was founded by Miss Agnes Irwin of Philadelphia. Agnes Irwin, a great-great-granddaughter of Benjamin Franklin, later became the...
in Rosemont, PA, and the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
, where she was a member of the sorority Kappa Alpha Theta
Kappa Alpha Theta
Kappa Alpha Theta , also known as Theta, is an international fraternity for women founded on January 27, 1870 at DePauw University, formerly Indiana Asbury...
. After graduation, she moved to New York City, where she began a career working with fashion designers, including Zoran, a Yugoslavian designer. She worked at Harper's Bazaar
Harper's Bazaar
Harper’s Bazaar is an American fashion magazine, first published in 1867. Harper’s Bazaar is published by Hearst and, as a magazine, considers itself to be the style resource for “women who are the first to buy the best, from casual to couture.”...
magazine. She was a copywriter for Polo Ralph Lauren
Polo Ralph Lauren
Ralph Lauren Corporation is a luxury clothing and goods company of the American fashion designer Ralph Lauren. Ralph Lauren specializes in high-end casual/semi-formal wear for men and women, as well as accessories, fragrances, home and housewares...
and worked for Vera Wang
Vera Wang
Vera Ellen Wang is a Chinese American fashion designer based in New York City and former figure skater. She is known for her wide clientele of couture bridesmaid gowns and wedding gown collections.-Personal life:...
.
She began a fashion label in February 2004. The label was an immediate success and was endorsed by Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey is an American media proprietor, talk show host, actress, producer and philanthropist. Winfrey is best known for her self-titled, multi-award-winning talk show, which has become the highest-rated program of its kind in history and was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2011...
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
Upper East Side
The Upper East Side is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, between Central Park and the East River. The Upper East Side lies within an area bounded by 59th Street to 96th Street, and the East River to Fifth Avenue-Central Park...
apartment and quickly blossomed into free-standing boutiques, now numbering 26. In February 2004, Tory Burch opened a flagship store in the NoLIta neighborhood of Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
in New York City. The store was almost completely sold out on the first day. Stories about her and her fashion line have been in a broad spectrum of magazines and newspapers, and in April 2005, Winfrey endorsed her line on The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show is an American syndicated talk show hosted and produced by its namesake Oprah Winfrey. It ran nationally for 25 seasons beginning in 1986, before concluding in 2011. It is the highest-rated talk show in American television history....
.
Personal life
Born in Valley Forge, PennsylvaniaValley Forge, Pennsylvania
The Village of Valley Forge is an unincorporated settlement located on the west side of Valley Forge National Historical Park at the confluence of Valley Creek and the Schuylkill River in Pennsylvania, United States. The remaining village is in Schuylkill Township of Chester County, but once...
, Burch was raised with her four brothers (Robert, James, Leonard, and Nick) in a Valley Forge farmhouse where her mother, Reva Robinson, still lived in 2008. The house is a 250-year old Georgian
Georgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
near the Valley Forge National Historical Park
Valley Forge National Historical Park
Valley Forge National Historical Park is the site where the Continental Army spent the winter of 1777–1778 near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, during the American Revolutionary War. The National Historical Park preserves the site and interprets the history of the Valley Forge encampment. ...
. Her mother is a former actress who dated Steve McQueen
Steve McQueen
Terrence Steven "Steve" McQueen was an American movie actor. He was nicknamed "The King of Cool." His "anti-hero" persona, which he developed at the height of the Vietnam counterculture, made him one of the top box-office draws of the 1960s and 1970s. McQueen received an Academy Award nomination...
and Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando, Jr. was an American movie star and political activist. "Unchallenged as the most important actor in modern American Cinema" according to the St...
. Her father, Buddy Robinson, who was a wealthy investor, is now deceased. Her father inherited a stock exchange
Stock exchange
A stock exchange is an entity that provides services for stock brokers and traders to trade stocks, bonds, and other securities. Stock exchanges also provide facilities for issue and redemption of securities and other financial instruments, and capital events including the payment of income and...
seat and a paper cup
Paper cup
A paper cup is a cup made out of paper and often lined with plastic or wax to prevent liquid from leaking out or soaking through the paper. It may be made of recycled paper and is widely used around the world.-History:...
company. He dated Grace Kelly
Grace Kelly
Grace Patricia Kelly was an American actress who, in April 1956, married Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, to become Princess consort of Monaco, styled as Her Serene Highness The Princess of Monaco, and commonly referred to as Princess Grace.After embarking on an acting career in 1950, at the age of...
and Joan Bennett
Joan Bennett
Joan Geraldine Bennett was an American stage, film and television actress. Besides acting on the stage, Bennett appeared in more than 70 motion pictures from the era of silent movies well into the sound era...
. Tory's father was fourteen years older than her mother.
Tory served as captain of the tennis team and rode horses while at the Agnes Irwin School
Agnes Irwin School
The Agnes Irwin School is an all-girls', non-sectarian, day school for students in grades PreK-12. The School has been a leader in girls' education since 1869, when it was founded by Miss Agnes Irwin of Philadelphia. Agnes Irwin, a great-great-granddaughter of Benjamin Franklin, later became the...
. Tory attended the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
, where she was a member of the Kappa Alpha Theta
Kappa Alpha Theta
Kappa Alpha Theta , also known as Theta, is an international fraternity for women founded on January 27, 1870 at DePauw University, formerly Indiana Asbury...
sorority. She majored in art history, and graduated in 1988.
From 1997 through 2006, she was married to Christopher Burch, an investor in Internet Capital Group
Internet Capital Group
Internet Capital Group , is a publicly-traded venture capital firm founded in 1996 by Ken Fox and Walter Buckley. ICG raised $178.8 million in an initial public offering on the Nasdaq in August 1999....
, a venture capital firm founded by Walter Buckley and Ken Fox
Ken Fox
Kenneth Allen "Ken" Fox is an American business man best known as an entrepreneur and investor. He was a co-founder of Internet Capital Group who has gone on to form Stripes Group, Sentinel Fund, Syndero and A10 Capital.- Early life :...
. Previously she was married to William Macklowe, son of real-estate tycoon Harry B. Macklowe
Harry B. Macklowe
Harry B. Macklowe is a New York City real estate developer and investor.His firm, Macklowe Properties owns a number of New York landmarks including 400 Madison Ave., 540 Madison Ave. and Two Grand Central Tower....
. She dated Lance Armstrong
Lance Armstrong
Lance Edward Armstrong is an American former professional road racing cyclist who won the Tour de France a record seven consecutive times, after having survived testicular cancer. He is also the founder and chairman of the Lance Armstrong Foundation for cancer research and support...
in 2007. More recently, she has been linked to Lyor Cohen
Lyor Cohen
Lyor Cohen is the North American Chairman and CEO of Recorded Music for Warner Music Group . He has been a pioneer in the development of hip hop music and influential in the development of hip hop music acts, including Beastie Boys, Foxy Brown, LL Cool J, Jam Master Jay, Nas, Run-D.M.C...
. After divorcing from Burch, she continued to live with her children in their New York City apartment.
Burch has three sons and three stepdaughters: Children Henry, Nicholas, and Sawyer and step children Alexandra, Elizabeth, and Louisa.
Business
Her company produces caftans, sequined cardigans, tunics, children's swimwear, jewelry, handbags, shoes, and sunglasses. The style has been described as Preppy-bohoBoho-chic
Boho-chic is a style of female fashion drawing on various bohemian and hippie influences, which, at its height in 2004-5, was associated particularly with actress Sienna Miller and model Kate Moss in the United Kingdom and actresses Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen and Nicole Richie in the United States...
and Preppy-bohemian luxe. Some select styles of sunglasses, such as the Rounded Aviator, have the signature logo printed on the lens. Her styles are popular with the viewers and fans of the television show Gossip Girl
Gossip Girl (TV series)
Gossip Girl is an American teen drama television series based on the book series of the same name written by Cecily von Ziegesar. The series was created by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, and premiered on The CW on September 19, 2007...
, which they often appear on, and her style transcends generations. Her style is known for being easy to wear. In 2007, there were wait lists to buy her fashions, which are hallmark representations of and homages to 1950s and 1960s fashions. Her fashions are known for including her T-logo
Logo
A logo is a graphic mark or emblem commonly used by commercial enterprises, organizations and even individuals to aid and promote instant public recognition...
medallion. 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. Burch named her popular line of Reva ballerina flats after her mother. Burch is known as one of the leaders in turning the t-shirt into a fashion item.
In 2008, she beat Marc Jacobs
Marc Jacobs
Marc Jacobs is an American fashion designer. He is the head designer for Marc Jacobs, as well as Marc by Marc Jacobs, a diffusion line, with more than 200 retail stores in 60 countries. He has been the creative director of the French design house Louis Vuitton since 1997...
and Michael Kors
Michael Kors
Michael Kors is an American fashion designer. He is best known for designing classic American sportswear for women.-Personal life:...
for the Council of Fashion Designers of America, as the accessories designer of the year. In 2007, she won the Accessory Brand Launch of the year award from the Accessories Council of Excellence. In 2005, she won Rising Star Award to Burch for best new Retail Concept from the Fashion Group International.
In 2009, Burch appeared in the fourth episode of Gossip Girl
Gossip Girl (TV series)
Gossip Girl is an American teen drama television series based on the book series of the same name written by Cecily von Ziegesar. The series was created by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, and premiered on The CW on September 19, 2007...
season three as herself.
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
(the other one is set to open soon). Her fashion line is carried in Saks Fifth Avenue
Saks Fifth Avenue
Saks Fifth Avenue is a luxury American specialty store owned and operated by Saks Fifth Avenue Enterprises , a subsidiary of Saks Incorporated. It competes in the high-end specialty store market in the Upper East Side of Manhattan, i.e. 'the 3 B's' Bergdorf, Barneys, Bloomingdale's and Lord & Taylor...
, Bergdorf Goodman
Bergdorf Goodman
Bergdorf Goodman is a luxury goods department store based on Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. The company was founded in 1899 by Herman Bergdorf and was later owned and managed by Edwin Goodman, and later his son Andrew Goodman....
, Neiman Marcus
Neiman Marcus
Neiman Marcus, formerly Neiman-Marcus, is a luxury specialty retail department store operated by the Neiman Marcus Group in the United States. The company is headquartered in the One Marcus Square building in Downtown Dallas, Texas, and competes with other department stores such as Saks Fifth...
Nordstrom
Nordstrom
Nordstrom, Inc. is an upscale department store chain in the United States, founded by John W. Nordstrom and Carl F. Wallin. Initially a shoe retailer, the company today also sells clothing, accessories, handbags, jewelry, cosmetics, fragrances, and in some locations, home furnishings...
and Bloomingdale's
Bloomingdale's
Bloomingdale's is an American department store owned by Macy's, Inc. .Bloomingdale's started in 1861 when brothers Joseph and Lyman G. Bloomingdale started selling hoop-skirts in their Ladies Notions' Shop on Manhattan's Lower East Side...
. In 2009, Tory Burch sold a minority stake in her company to a Mexican private equity firm, Tresalia Capital.
Philanthropy
In 2008, Burch founded the Tory Burch FoundationTory Burch Foundation
Tory Burch Foundation is a US-based non-profit organization dedicated to providing economic opportunities to women and their families in the United States. It was founded by fashion-designer and entrepreneur Tory Burch in 2009. Burch explained the reason for her focus as “I like microfinance in...
, which provides "economic opportunities to women and their families". The Tory Burch Foundation is currently partnered with ACCION USA to provide domestic microfinance to low income entrepreneurs in the United States. ACCION USA is a non-profit domestic microfinance provider founded in 1991. 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.” Burch’s stores sell several products whose proceeds support the Foundation’s work.
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.
Socialite
Caroline Kennedy
Caroline Bouvier Kennedy is an American author and attorney. She is a member of the influential Kennedy family and the only surviving child of U.S. President John F...
, Carolina Herrera
Carolina Herrera (fashion designer)
Carolina Herrera Carolina Herrera Carolina Herrera (born María Carolina Josefina Pacanins y Niño (born January 8, 1939) is a Venezuelan and naturalized American fashion designer and entrepreneur who founded her eponymous company in 1980.-Early life:...
, Susan Fales-Hill (Misty Copeland
Misty Copeland
Misty Copeland is an American ballet dancer, described by many accounts as the first African American female soloist for the American Ballet Theatre , one of the three leading classical ballet companies in the United States...
's sponsor), Dayssi Olarte de Kanavos, and Sloan Lindemann Barnett. 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.
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Just a Clown | (special thanks) | |
| 2008 | America's Next Top Model America's Next Top Model America's Next Top Model is a reality television show in which a number of women compete for the title of America's Next Top Model and a chance to start their career in the modeling industry.... |
(special thanks) | |
| 2009 | Gossip Girl Gossip Girl (TV series) Gossip Girl is an American teen drama television series based on the book series of the same name written by Cecily von Ziegesar. The series was created by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, and premiered on The CW on September 19, 2007... |
Herself | (season 3,4th episode) |