Winning instincts

Winning instincts

The ethos behind Tory Burch's enterprises is the key to her success

SOCIAL & LIFESTYLE
Winning instincts

There is something endearingly simple about Tory Burch, founder of a multimillion-dollar brand of the same name, that immediately makes people warm to this elegant woman.

PHOTO: NOA GRIFFEL

"I love French fries," confessed Burch, 47, with a smile over a lunch with her team and a few members of the press.

As well as French fries, she also loves fashion. Her passion for style came about when she was in college. Before that, she said she was usually dressed in casual, sporty clothes.

"Growing up, I was such a tomboy. I loved sports, but I have incredibly glamourous parents. I think from very early on, I was exposed to fashion. When I was in high school and went to a prom, it was my first time wearing a Saint Laurent dress," said Burch, whose business has now expanded globally to more than 100 free-standing boutiques and a presence in over 1,000 department and speciality stores around the world, after just a decade.

It was during her college years that she started to love fashion, and her work has always involved it in some way. She has worked with influential brands such as Ralph Lauren, Vera Wang and Narciso Rodriguez. However, she never imagined that she would one day become a designer, let alone be the boss of her own brand.

"Until I started the company nine years ago, I had never designed. I had worked with incredible designers, but I had never run a business either. With this company, I learned on the job," she said.

Her style has come a long way from those tomboy days, but the sporty and classic elements remain. With those core characters, she added eclectic nuances inspired by cultures and women around the world to lend a unique touch to classic silhouettes.

It was in 2004 when she launched Tory Burch as a small boutique in Manhattan, born from her desire for reasonably priced clothing, and to spend more time with her young sons.

"When I had my third boy, I was working at LVMH and Narciso Rodriguez. I couldn't keep the pace up, having three young boys under the age of four and such long work hours. I took time off, and it was during those few years of being a mum that I knew I wanted to work and start a business. It was about what I was personally missing. I loved fashion, but I didn't want to spend designer prices all the time. I thought there'd be a way to design beautifully made clothing that didn't cost a fortune. That was how it started," she said.

Tory Burch products are strategically positioned, wedged between luxury and affordable price points.

"I believe in accessibility and I want to give women options. Also, I like the idea of mixing different kinds of prices. To me, luxury is not about a price point. It's about the way you live your life, about style, and about the way you treat people," she said.

To Burch, people are the most powerful tool, and she credits her brand's success to having the right people working with her. When it comes to finding the right people, her criteria is to rely on her instinct.

"The team is why we have this successful company. It's about surrounding yourself with incredible people who share your vision. It's not just building a company to be a big company, but to strategically make thoughtful decisions. One of my strengths is finding great people. I think I'm good at that - I have good instincts. We built this company on instinct, intuition, hard work and tenacity," she explained.

She also believes firmly in empowering people, particularly women. Known as one of New York City's most recognised philanthropists, Burch has worked hard for both her business and her Tory Burch Foundation, which began in 2009, inspired by her experience as a businesswoman and a working mother. The foundation provides micro-loans ranging from US$500 to $50,000 (15,000-1.5 million baht) to women-owned businesses. A mentoring programme has also been established to assist female entrepreneurs as they start and grow their enterprises.

"The original plan was to start a foundation for women and empowerment. The foundation is four years old now. We help women with their businesses through small loans, internships and entrepreneurial education. It's such an added benefit to our company - I never really expected it would affect the bottom line as well. It's great for business, but that's not why we did it. It's turned into this great situation where it attracts wonderful people who want to work at our company. It's great for us, and it's something the consumers can relate to as well. At the same time, it's helping women," Burch said.

Burch gets inspiration for her designs from many sources - from travelling the world, fashion, music, and art, to the simple things around her - "Inspiration is everywhere. It can be the bottom of a basket!"

However, one of the most influential inspirations is her own mother, whose name she uses for her famous Reva flats. Burch said her mother has great sense of style when it comes to footwear.

"I had always loved ballet flats and I thought there had to be a chic way of adding our logo. I don't wear a lot of logos - I wanted something that would just read as more graphic and something that people could wear. One day, in our design meeting, I just took our logo and put it on our ballet flats that we had," Burch said of the beginning of the best-selling Revas, which were launched in 2006 and became an instant hit. A few years later, Oprah Winfrey included Tory Burch Reva flats in her final "Favorite Things" episode, driving even more success for the shoes.

With so much to be proud of - getting the Accessory Designer of the Year award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America in 2008, being named a Glamour Woman of the Year, and making the list on Forbes' Most Powerful Women in the World - her biggest joy is being a mother. While her work demands a lot of time, she makes sure she is always there for her three boys.

"Being a working mum, I find it difficult yet manageable if you prioritise and turn work off when you're home, and vice versa. But my boys always come first," Burch beamed proudly.

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