Tory Burch

They’ve been spotted prowling the pavements from London to New York, slinging oversized tote bags from arms clad in brightly coloured metallic tweed coats and silk blouses, all sporting those signature gold-logoed pumps of course. We’re talking about the Tory Burch brigade: you know, the flock of women who have adopted the brand’s trend-driven (but accessible) take on affordable luxury with ardour.


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So who is the Tory Burch brigade we hear you ask? Well, you know them when you see them, but they’re hard gang to narrow down. The age range is vast – even the styles are different but the common thread is an appreciation for clothes that suggest something new but made to last far beyond fast-trend fashion. These women are driven by clothes that read fashion beneficiary but not fashion victim; clothes that are professional without feeling sterile, bold without being overly girly or brash.


Tory Burch

Tory Burch


To celebrate the launch of her summer collection, Burch has rounded up a group of them who emulate the new collection’s free-spirited, bohemian style for a series of portraits taken in each woman’s home. The project wasn’t just about fashion. In fact, the whole premise of the images were to celebrate women from all walks of life – from fashion and art to film and commerce – who have found extraordinary success in what they do. Each was given a pair of espadrilles and a tunic – all brand signatures – and given free reign to style them as they pleased. Offering a rare glimpse into their homes, the images feature names you might recognise like Sabine Getty, Jemima Jones and Anouska Beckwith, to women you’ve probably never heard of but who’s stories will inspire you nonetheless. Alessandra Oris, for example, cut her teeth at the Gucci Group and went on to join the creative marketing team at Tod’s before landing her current role as the Head of Art and Creativity and the Yoox-Net-A-Porter Group in Milan. “I’ve grown up where women are entitled, in power, entrepreneurial and successful. It’s normal, says Margherita Puri-Negri, the Global Business Development Coordinator at LuxHub, who was also shot for the series.


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If anyone was going to launch a campaign like this, it’s Tory Burch because the brand’s critical and commercial success lies not only in the way women feel about her clothes, but with the way we all see her as a woman too. Because let’s face it, if there were ever a fashion equivalent of the whole Sheryl Sandberg ‘Lean In’ proposition, Tory Burch would be it. With neither traditional business school nor design training, the working mother, CEO and philanthropist has created one of the world’s most influential fashion and lifestyle empires. And when it comes to supporting and empowering women, she doesn’t just give it lip service.


Tory Burch


Tory Burch

 

Despite the pressures of having leaned in about as far as one go, in 2009 she launched the Tory Burch Foundation with a mission to try and break down the barriers that women in business face, from balancing work and family (a challenge she openly admits is something she struggles with) to securing financing. Earlier on this year, it held a public online vote listing 30 female-run businesses that were chosen from more than 500 candidates. Now whittled down to 10, each of the remaining women will receive a $10,000 grant, as well as access to opportunities to network and receive mentorships and business education. The top fellow will receive a $100,000 grant to invest in her business. Do you see what mean? She’s a proud card-holding member of team ‘Lean In’ so to leave you that little bit more inspired, here are some recent nuggets of career and business advice she gave in an interview with The Future of Business and Tech:

ON THE GREATEST CHALLENGES FEMALE BUSINESS OWNERS FACE: “Starting a business is incredibly difficult, regardless of gender. But women face additional challenges. One of the biggest is securing capital to launch and grow their businesses—women are less likely to have access to resources or be approved for loans. Many also lack the confidence, the networks, and the business training they need to see their ideas through.”

ON THE MOST IMPORTANT QUALITIES FEMALE ENTREPRENEURS NEED TO BE SUCCESSFUL: “You have to have a unique idea that meets a need, an idea that you really believe in. Launching a business is a tremendous amount of work—much more than I ever imagined when I was starting out—so you have to be truly passionate about what you’re doing. I always tell our entrepreneurs to embrace ambition—think big. Optimism is a job requirement.”

ON HER DESIRE TO SUPPORT BUSINESSWOMEN: “It makes no sense to tap only half the population’s innovative ideas and leadership capabilities. Helping women entrepreneurs realize their potential is important not only because it’s right, but because women entrepreneurs create jobs and drive economic growth. When they succeed, their families benefit and their communities and our economy do, too.”