Tory Burch's rise to success is a testament to the power of determination, creativity, and hard work. From designing in her own kitchen in 2004 to building a global fashion brand, Tory's journey has been nothing short of remarkable. With a vision to create a brand that was both approachable and luxurious, Tory, then 38 years old, set out to fill a gap in the fashion market. The now-iconic Reva ballet flats, named after her mother, features the signature double-"T" logo, which became an instant hit and helped to establish the brand as a fashion powerhouse.
Tory Burch is a brand created by an empowered woman with the desire to uplift fellow women. In addition to her fashion empire, she's committed to philanthropy and women empowerment. She launched the Tory Burch Foundation in 2009, which provides access to capital, education, and digital resources for women entrepreneurs. Through the foundation, Tory has helped support countless women and motivated them to pursue their dreams and achieve success.
Today, her eponymous label has become a symbol of timeless elegance and effortless style (including classic bags that will never go out of style), inspiring women around the world to embrace their own unique sense of fashion. Preview traveled all the way to Singapore for an exclusive interview with Tory Burch, and as we explored the latest offerings from the Spring/Summer 2023 collection, we couldn't help but marvel at the brand's evolution and the woman behind it all.
PREVIEW EXCLUSIVE: Tory Burch Talks About the Spring/Summer 2023 Collection, Stepping Down as CEO, and Focusing More on Her Design Process
I've read from an old interview that you started designing in your kitchen. Seeing how huge the business has grown over the years, clearly, your designs resonate with so many women. Can you describe the Tory Burch woman? Who is the woman that you design for?
"I think I've evolved so much since that kitchen! (laughs) Back then I had zero design experience, no business experience, [but I] kind of had this idea of how to start a business to have purpose and doing good is good for business, knowing that I'd have to build a business in order to start a foundation. But that was sort of the goal.
"I kind of have always been intrigued by making women feel powerful and confident. And so, when I think of who I design for, I feel that there is that [confidence] in all women. We just have to be able to bring it out and I think all women have a level of self-doubt, including me. And so I like to share that with other women, to show them that they can feel powerful and come to their own. And so that's who I design for. If I hear, when people wear our collections and say they feel more confident, it's the biggest compliment for me."
We're all living in a post pandemic world—the "new normal," as we call it. Would you say that it has impacted the brand's design philosophy in any way?
"Yeah, it's had a massive impact. In many ways, I feel like it's been a complete reinvention. Not only because Covid gave me the time to reflect, but also when Pierre-Yves Roussel came on board to be CEO, I gave up the operations. So in the last four years, I've been solely working on the creative and I feel like I wish I had done it earlier. For me, it's just a whole new world to spend 100% of my time on the creative versus 30% and being pulled in so many different directions...
"[Now] I'm constantly working with the team on sort of getting to the essence of why I started the company to begin with. But, who are we today? And who is the evolved version of who we are? And also, pairing that with the concept of 'less of everything' and everything with more integrity. I know women want to have things that last; I want to have things that last. But we also want to have our customer be surprised with how incredible the quality is, the design, and feel great about what they're paying for it. It's not this uber-luxury price point, but they're getting value. And for me, that's really important, and I want women to feel that."
You talked about stepping down as CEO to focus more on the creative aspect of the brand. How is that working out for you and your role in the company?
"Philosophically, I feel [we started the brand] to create positive change and it was to empower women. From the very beginning, that was sort of my north star.
"I think with Pierre-Yves coming in as CEO... People ask me if it was hard to give up that title, and the answer is definitively no. It was the easiest thing I've ever done, and in a way maybe I should've done it a little sooner. I'm so proud of the company we've built, but it now gives me time to actually think about design and creativity and innovation. Before, it was virtually impossible to do everything. I was traveling, I was opening stores. We were implementing SAP, working on the website, like, so many things that Pierre-Yves has taken over and he's an expert in. And the numbers and financial structure, that was something that I had to work at. So for me, the creative process is my passion."
In terms of designs, Tory Burch does not seem to be solely influenced by trends. What do you think draws people to the brand?
"I think [we stay] relevant from a trend perspective, but we're not so focused on following intermediates. I think the reason we become relevant is that we're all sort of experiencing things on the macro way. I think that that's a good thing that we're in touch with that. But I want [the brand] to really be about making women feel beautiful. It's not necessarily for me about [trends]. I'd rather be not be that conceptual and have women feel confident in our clothing. That said, I really want to be interesting and conceptual in the design, but I want it to fit and I want them to feel like they are the best version of themselves. So it's kind of finding balance. I'm designing for women of all ages and, for us, we have a diverse team and we spend a lot of time thinking about what we want at the moment rather than looking at what everyone else is doing."
Heart Poplin Shirtdress, P34,250, TORY BURCH, trunc.ph
Rose-Embroidered Sweater, P57,650, TORY BURCH, trunc.ph
Can we talk about the Spring/Summer 2023 collection? Please share with us your inspiration for the collection and what makes it different compared to the past collections that Tory Burch has done before.
"I think, in the past, like before when I was running the business [day-to-day], I kind of was looking to my parents, or travel, or an art show [for inspiration]. And when Covid happened, it gave me the ability to look within. And so I think it's a very different kind of way of working, and it's a complete reset on how I designed. And I wanted to have the ability to think about how I wanted to design rather than be dictated to by the past. So we sort of had the ability to sort of scratch the way we design. And I started, you know, I love doing research by myself and with the teams. I started thinking about just silhouette and body, and I really love the idea of the concept of femininity and masculinity and the dichotomy. And I've always been interested in that sort of tension.
"So it's a very different kind of way of designing that I'm doing now. It's kind of how I started designing instinctually a long time ago and then the business sort of took me away from that a bit. And now I'm back [with this new collection] in a totally significant way."
Do you have your personal favorites from the new collection?
"I'm very interested in the concept of movement and I can tell you like there's nothing more stretchy than the outfit I'm wearing [right now], and it just molds to your body and it's super chic. But you know, I started thinking about when I first moved to New York in the '90s also... The Ballet Loafer is kind of a new shoe. I don't know if you've seen Gigi Hadid wearing it all over [social media]. And but it's super exciting to see the momentum around this shoe because it's super the way we constructed it. We spent a lot of time working on it and the fit and the comfort and flexibility—it's something that is really exciting.
"I love the Lee Radziwill Cat Eye bag—it's so cute. But we also are experimenting with biomaterials. We did our new Ella Bio, which is our classic tote, but in a biomaterial and I really love it and it's literally indestructible. Like, you cannot do anything to it! (laughs) Talk about longevity. And it takes color so beautifully."
Ballet Loafer, P21,950, TORY BURCH, trunc.ph
Ella Tote, P18,250, TORY BURCH, trunc.ph
Lee Radziwill Petite Cat Eye Bag, P43,950, TORY BURCH, trunc.ph
Tory Burch is available in Rustan's Makati, Rustan's Shangri-La, Trunc.ph, and with boutiques in Greenbelt 5 and Powerplant Mall.
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