J. Christopher Burch

Early life

Burch was raised in Wayne, Pennsylvania. His mother, Robin Sinkler, was from a Philadelphia Main Line family and his father, John Walter Burch, owned a mining equipment and supplies company. Burch attended Tilton School, an independent prep school in Tilton, New Hampshire. He graduated from Tilton in 1972, and then attended Ithaca College.

Career

Fashion industry

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. 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.

In 2004, Burch helped his then-wife launch the Tory Burch fashion label, He also owned 28.3%, selling half of his shares in December 2012, when the company was estimated to be worth $3.5 billion. In 2008, he established J. Christopher Capital LLC, later renamed Burch Creative Capital. 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. In 2015, C. Wonder filed for bankruptcy and closed its stores; soon afterward, the brand was sold to Xcel Brands.

Real estate

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.

In 2006, Burch founded J.B. Christopher, a supplier of construction materials to real estate developers. In 2011, Burch and his partner Austin Hearst completed a $19 million luxury home development in Nantucket.

In 2013, in a partnership with James McBride, Burch acquired the Nihiwatu resort on the Indonesian island of Sumba. In 2015, after a $30 million investment, the pair opened the resort under the name NIHI.

Other investments

In 1993, Burch was a producer for the feature-length romantic comedy film Watch It. He was an early investor in the IPO for Internet Capital Group, In 2014, he led the investment in BaubleBar; that year he also partnered with Ellen DeGeneres to launch her lifestyles collection, ED by Ellen.

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

Personal life

In 1982, Burch married Susan Cole. They had three daughters and divorced at an unknown date.

In 1996, he married the fashion designer Tory Robinson with whom he had three sons. They divorced in 2006.

Burch is a past president of The Pierre Hotel Co-op Board, and a past board member of Guggenheim Partners, and The Continuum Group.

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.

References

References

1. [https://www.luxurydaily.com/i-am-obsessed-with-my-customer-tory-burch-cofounder/ Luxury Daily: "Tory Burch cofounder: Tailoring in-store experience vital for brands" by Tricia Carr] May 2, 2012
2. Young, Vicki M.. (1 August 2013). "Burch Creative Capital's Coolcore Files Lawsuit". WWD.
3. [http://www.burchcreativecapital.com Burch Creative Capital website]
4. [https://www.vanityfair.com/style/features/2007/02/tory-burch-200702 Vanity Fair: "An Empire of Her Own" By Michael Shnayerson] February 2007
5. [https://www.vanityfair.com/business/2012/12/tory-burch-chris-c-wonder Vanity Fair: "Tory Burch's Ex Factor" By Vanessa Grigoriadis] December 2012
6. [https://web.archive.org/web/20150725011749/http://articles.philly.com/2007-10-03/news/25233330_1_lacrosse-korean-war-purple-heart Philadelphia Inquirer: "John W. Burch, 82, veteran and athlete" By Gayle Ronan Sims] October 03, 2007
7. [http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/mainlinemedianews/obituary.aspx?pid=156333073#fbLogged Main Line Media News] March 7, 2012
8. [https://www.nytimes.com/1982/08/29/style/susan-cole-is-married.html New York Times: "Susan Cole Is Married"] August 29, 1982
9. [https://www.ithaca.edu/business/businessconnections/?item=2528 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
10. Jan Schaffer. (July 24, 1983). "Forces behind Eagle's Eye". [[Boca Raton News]].
11. Josh Patner. (October 3, 2004). "Don't Call Her Socialite". [[New York Times]].
12. (1 November 2012). "As Chris Burch Seeks Tory Burch's Ouster at Her Own Brand, Diane von Furstenberg and Anna Wintour Condemn His "Nasty . . . Sabotaging" and Absenteeism".
13. Ashley Lutz. (January 3, 2013). "How Tory Burch Became A Fashion Billionaire In Less Than A Decade".
14. Patricia Sellers. (January 22, 2013). "Tory Burch talks about choosing great investors". [[CNN]].
15. Ashley Lutz. (January 9, 2013). "Tory Burch's Ex-Husband Disses Her Right After The End Of Their Bitter Lawsuit".
16. Richard Collings. (June 15, 2012). "A Q&A with J. Christopher Burch: On startups and style". The Deal Magazine.
17. Eric Wilson. (January 1, 2013). "Agreement Announced in Tory Burch Case". The New York Times.
18. Vicki M. Young. (Aug 5, 2015). "Brad Goreski Named Creative Director of C. Wonder".
19. Adriana Schettini. (December 5, 2004). "Alan Faena: el duque en sus dominios". [[La Nación]].
20. Daria Meoli. (October 2, 2012). "An Entrepreneurial Addiction: An Interview with Christopher Burch". NY Reporter.
21. "House of the Day: Nantucket Retreat". [[Wall Street Journal]].
22. (March 20, 2013). "Indonesian Resort Nihiwatu Announces New Ownership". Luxury Travel Advisor.
23. 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".
24. Vincent Canby. (March 26, 1993). "Watch It (1993): Review/Film". [[New York Times]].
25. Keith Albow. (April 19, 2012). "Did ADD help Chris Burch in billion-dollar company success?". [[Fox News]].
26. Seth Lubove. (February 15, 2013). "Chris Burch Becomes a Billionaire as Fashion Stock Surge". [[Bloomberg News]].
27. Michael J. De La Merced. (July 29, 2014). "BaubleBar, an Upstart Jewelry Seller, Raises $10 Million". New York Times.
28. Emily Wick. (July 8, 2014). "Ellen DeGeneres wants to furnish your living room with new lifestyle collection". Today Show.
29. "Burch Creative Capital".
30. [https://books.google.com/books?id=NRNIpKuxoJEC&q=tory+robinson&pg=PA168 ''The Fortune Hunters: Dazzling Women and the Men They Married'' By Charlotte Hays] p. 167
31. [https://dealbook.nytimes.com/2012/11/09/in-unusual-move-the-delaware-supreme-court-rebukes-a-judge/ New York Times Dealbook: "In Unusual Move, Delaware Supreme Court Rebukes a Judge" By PETER LATTMAN] November 9, 2012
32. (November 14, 2012). "TORY BURCH'S EX FACTOR". Vanity Fair.
33. Alexei Barrionuevo. (August 23, 2012). "The Most Pampering, the Highest Fees". [[New York Times]].
34. (April 10, 2013). "NH school alumnus gives $1.3M gift". [[Boston Globe]].