J. Christopher Burch
| J. Christopher Burch | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
March 28, 1953 Bryn Mawr, PA, US |
| Residence | Miami |
| Nationality | United States |
| Alma mater | Ithaca College |
| Occupation | Founder Burch Creative Capital |
| Known for | entrepreneur and investor in the fashion industry |
| Net worth |
 US$ 1.0 billion (est.)(March 2013) |
| Spouse(s) | Susan Cole Tory Robinson |
| Children | six with Cole: -Alexandra Burch -Elizabeth Burch -Louisa Burch with Robinson -Henry Burch -Nicholas Burch -Sawyer Burch |
| Parent(s) | John Walter Burch Robin Sinkler |
J. Christopher Burch (born March 28, 1953) is the founder and CEO of Burch Creative Capital, a firm based in New York City that manages venture investments and brand development, and co-founder of Tory Burch LLC. He became a billionaire in 2012, with Forbes magazine's profile of him in its annual The World's Billionaires stating that the 2012 valuation of Burch's majority stake in C. Wonder pushed his net worth over the ten figure mark. In addition to his personal investments, he was an investor with the Guggenheim Partners.
Burch was raised in Wayne, Pennsylvania, in a middle-class family. His mother Robin Sinkler, an Episcopalian, was from a Philadelphia Main Line family and his father, John Walter Burch, a Roman Catholic, was one of 10 children born to a middle-class Baltimore family. His father owned a distributor of mining equipment and supplies.
In 1976, while an undergraduate at Ithaca College, Burch and his brother Robert started Eagle's Eye apparel with a $2,000 investment, buying sweaters for $10 each and selling them for $15. Burch decided to find a factory to produce a new brand of "preppy" sweaters so that he could sell them door-to-door on campus. His operation soon expanded to other campuses, and, eventually, to retail stores. Over the next decade, the company expanded to $140 million in sales and a national distribution footprint, including more than 50 of its own retail stores. The company was partially sold to Swire Group, in 1989, and entirely, in 1998 in a deal that valued the brand at $60 million.
In 2004, Burch helped his then wife to launch the Tory Burch fashion label, and served as co-Chairman of the company. He also owned 28.3%, selling half of it in December 2012, as the company was estimated to be worth $3.5 billion. He then established J. Christopher Capital LLC in 2008, later renamed Burch Creative Capital. The company was developed to incubate his new brands and to manage his investments. In 2011, he launched C. Wonder, an apparel, accessories and home decor retailer. In July 2015 the C. Wonder brand was purchased by Xcel Brands.
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