A Celebration of Women™

is elated to Celebrate the Life of this par excellence in creativity and proven generosity, a self-made woman entrepreneur that built her own global dynasty, inside one our world’s toughest industries, FASHION.

She is truly an inspiring figure, proving that one does not need to go through suffering just to make their mark in history.

Her MANTRA: “Just be the best at what you love doing, and you will eventually be given an opportunity to be the person of destiny that you were created to be”.

 

WOMAN of ACTION™

 
 
 

 

Tory Burch

 
 
 
Tory Burch (born June 17, 1966; née Robinson) is an American fashion designer business woman and philanthropist, who has won several fashion awards for her designs. She was born, raised, and educated in the Philadelphia metropolitan area.

Family and education

Burch was born in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, the daughter of Reva (née Schapira) and Ira Earl “Bud” Robinson (b. Jan. 6, 1923 – d. Aug. 9, 2007). She was raised with her three brothers (Robert, James and Leonard) in a Valley Forge farmhouse, a 250-year old Georgian near the Valley Forge National Historical Park.

Her mother is a former actress who dated Steve McQueen and Marlon Brando. Her father, who was a wealthy investor, is now deceased. Her father inherited a stock exchange seat and a paper cup company. He dated Grace Kelly and Joan Bennett. Tory’s father was fourteen years older than her mother. Burch is Jewish on her mother’s side.

Burch attended the Agnes Irwin School in Rosemont, PA, where she rode horses and was captain of the tennis team. She then attended the University of Pennsylvania, where she was a member of the sorority Kappa Alpha Theta. She majored in art history, and graduated in 1988.

After graduation from college, 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 magazine, Vera Wang, and was a copywriter for Polo Ralph Lauren

Marriage and subsequent life

She was first married to William Macklowe, son of real-estate tycoon Harry B. Macklowe.

From 1997 through 2006, she was married to J. Christopher Burch, an investor in Internet Capital Group, a venture capital firm founded by Walter Buckley and Ken Fox.

She dated Lance Armstrong in 2007.

More recently, she has been linked to Lyor Cohen.

After divorcing from Burch, she continued to live with her children in their New York City apartment.

She has three sons and three stepdaughters.

Fashion label
Tory Burch is an attainable, luxury, lifestyle brand defined by classic American sportswear with an eclectic sensibility, which embodies the personal style and spirit of its co-founder and creative director, Tory Burch.

‘Perceiving a void in the market‘ for a sophisticated American aesthetic at an accessible price point, Tory wanted to create stylish yet wearable clothing and accessories for women of all ages.

She began a fashion label, “TRB by Tory Burch” — later known as “Tory Burch”, in February 2004.  

Her fashion line is carried at over 1,000 department and specialty stores worldwide, including Saks Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus Nordstrom and Bloomingdale’s.

Her flagship store is in the NoLIta neighborhood of Manhattan.

In April 2005, Oprah Winfrey endorsed her line on The Oprah Winfrey Show.

In 2009, Tory Burch sold a minority stake in her company to a Mexican private equity firm, Tresalia Capital.

As of January 2013, the company had grown to 83 Tory Burch stores worldwide.

Additional minority investors were added in December 2012 in conjunction with the settlement of a legal dispute between Burch and her ex-husband. This settlement is said to have removed a substantial obstacle to a forthcoming IPO, which has been the subject of considerable discussion in the financial and fashion industries.

Design style

Burch at 2007 Accessories Council of Excellence Awards

Designer and girl about town Tory Burch sure knows her accessories. First those ballet flats of hers, and now this necklace: which is totally dope. Her LBD — long black dress, natch — may be minimalist, but tempered with that necklace, the wow factor goes off the charts. Are you a fan? says POPSugar FASHION.

Her style is known for being easy to wear.

Her style has been described as ‘Preppy-boho’ 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, which they often appear on, and her style transcends generations.

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 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.

Awards

• In 2008, she won 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 January 2013, Forbes magazine estimated that she is now a billionaire with a net worth of $1.0 billion dollars

One could imagine how someone from a wealthy and noble family would even care about the affairs of those below them, but not Tory Burch. Even though she grew up like a princess in many ways, she never saw herself higher than others—instead, she saw her advantage as a means of reaching out to those who were in a way “lower” than her, helping them rise up and be successful in life.

Tory Burch is a world renowned fashion designer, having created thousands of designs that appeal to women of all ages. Her fashion line, the Tory Burch, is being sold in over one thousand stores worldwide. She also has over seventy stores across the globe, and her brand is being patronized by literally millions.

Tory Burch’s styles are often described as “Preppy-boho” and “Preppy-bohemian luxe”, a design that transcends generations for being easy to wear. Tory’s designs often appear on the television show Gossip Girl, and have since attracted numerous fans of all ages.

In fact, there were numerous times where her fashions were in wait lists, which pay homage to the 1950s and 1960s fashion eras.

Her clothing line suits a wide variety of women users; from the working-class women and sports-oriented ladies to the socialites and the elite.

Tory is also credited as being one of the world leaders that helped turn the T-Shirt into a fashion item, with her designs having the T-logo medallion.

Tory Burch has had a very successful fashion career; within three years of going professional in fashion work, she was already accepted into the Council of Fashion Designers of America, gaining an award two years later.

She is also one of the world’s wealthiest women entrepreneurs, and is estimated by Forbes magazine to have a net worth of one billion dollars.

While all her successes does make Tory a really extraordinary person in her field, it is her philanthropic work that has gained her such an extraordinary attention: Tory is an active supporter of children and women’s rights and welfare, and has supported many organizations, even establishing her own Charitable Foundation to help Women — The Tory Burch Foundation.

In 2008, Burch founded the Tory Burch Foundation, which provides “economic opportunities to women and their families“.

The foundation is currently partnered with ACCION USA, a non-profit domestic microfinance provider founded in 1991, to provide domestic micro-finance to low income entrepreneurs in the United States. ACCION USA is. Her stores sell several products whose proceeds support the Foundation’s work.

She is on the board of the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and chaired the 2006 spring gala for the American Ballet Theatre. In 2008, she was honored at a Colleague Helpers in Philanthropic Services (C.H.I.P.S.) luncheon that benefited the Children’s Institute, Inc.

She established the Tory Burch Foundation to help women entrepreneurs across the country, providing start up income to help them establish their businesses. She also travels around the world, often speaking in women’s conventions, constantly encouraging and empowering them to take part in their society’s growth.

She firmly believes in women entrepreneurs, and does what she can to help others achieve the success that she has today.

In addition to TBF, Tory Burch LLC is committed to investing in communities, both locally and globally. Through special collections, events, employee participation and donations, Tory Burch has collaborated with various nonprofit organizations, which include:

• Acumen Fund
• American Cancer Society
• American Heart Association
• American Red Cross
• Arizona Foundation for Women
• Autism Speaks
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bay Area
• Boys & Girls Club
• Breast Cancer Emergency Fund
• Breast Cancer Research Foundation
• Chaipattana Foundation
• Chrysalis Shelter for Victims of Domestic Violence
• Creative Arts Workshops for Kids
• FEED Foundation
• Georges Malaika FoundationGirls on the Run International
• Global Health Corps
• Happy Hearts Fund
• Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
• National MS Society
• Ovarian Cancer Research Fund
• Rebecca Project for Human Rights
• Room to Read
• Same Sky
• St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
• The 9th Floor Foundation
• The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research
• United States Fund for UNICEF
• Women’s Fund of Hawaii
• Young Women’s Leadership Network

 

Tory Burch life and work …

falsifies many of Hollywood’s stereotypes of rich women being callous to the affairs of the masses.

Tiny Prints is happy to present the Tory Burch Holiday Collection, a vibrant assortment of holiday cards, thank you notes, address labels and personalized stationery, with a portion of the proceeds benefitting the Tory Burch Foundation.

Established by fashion designer Tory Burch, the Tory Burch Foundation (TBF) is a nonprofit 501 (c)(3) organization inspired by Tory’s personal experience as a business owner and working mother. TBF invests in the success and sustainability of women-owned businesses through grants and microfinance for women entrepreneurs. Through mentoring opportunities, TBF provides women and girls with the information and tools needed to achieve their aspirations as entrepreneurs and leaders.
 
Our hearts are breaking for our family, friends and the millions in Japan and around the world affected by the devastating disaster.

To aid relief efforts, we have researched some different ways to help.

Below, a list of charities currently on the ground in Japan.

For more organizations that are helping, click here.

Tory has realized that ‘creativity in philanthropy‘ is needed today …. especially in times of crisis.

Our Special Edition Japan Relief T-shirt is now available. 100% of the net proceeds of every T-shirt sold until September 15, 2011, went to the American Red Cross to benefit the Japan earthquake and Pacific tsunami relief efforts. Tory and her foundation are highly esteemed in third party collections for other charities established on the ground, at many of these disaster sites. Japan is only one example.

American Red Cross
Save the Children
International Medical Corps

On Thursday, March 14,2013 we hosted a fantastic and energetic group of entrepreneurs at our Tory Burch Foundation Mentoring Event.

Thanks to all who attended and to our wonderful mentors – Bill Ford of General Atlantic, Sarah Gallagher of Ralph Lauren, Jennifer Pate Gilbert of Save the Date, Maneesh Goyal of MKG Events, Clarice Kennedy of Resources Global Professionals, Natalia Oberti Noguera of Pipeline Fellowship, Nicole Primack of Credit Suisse, Kajal Sanghrajka of EBK Eyewear, Frank Viteritti of Import Commodity Group, and Kathleen Warner of Startup America Partnership.
 
Calling all travelers, wanderers and drifters….
 
Follow our bohemian-chic magpie in the season’s lookbook video by Matt Baron and Theo Stanley, styled by Brian Molloy. It’s bright. It’s colorful. It’s the perfect spring escape. Shop new arrivals on toryburch.com.
 

 

FIND TORY HERE:

FORBES PROFILE – Tory Burch

TWITTER @toryburch

FACEBOOK – Tory Burch

SHOP ONLINE with Tory Burch

PINTEREST – Tory Burch

YOU TUBE – Tory Burch

Tory Burch FOUNDATION

Tory Burch FOUNDATION – FACEBOOK

Nomination via The Xtraordinary.org – thanks Peejay!

 
 
 

A Celebration of Women™

welcomes this powerhouse into our Alumni with open arms, looking forward to a future of collaboration, working to better the lives all all Women of this World.

 

 

Brava Tory!