Interview with Brigitte Kleine, President of Tory Burch pt. 2
Run into Brigitte Kleine at a party, and she will tell you “she works at Tory Burch.” Yet as the company’s president, Kleine has quietly helped turn a relatively unknown start-up into a billion dollar megabrand, arguably making it THE fashion success story of the last decade. For those that know her, she unsurprisingly achieved the same results in her various divisional president positions at Michael Kors, Alexander McQueen, and Donna Karan, leading her various divisions to exponential growth while strengthening the businesses at every stop. Base partner, Geoff Cook, who worked with Kleine at DKNY before joining Base, talks to her about Tory Burch, her success and the current state of fashion.
B: What are your plans for Tory Burch in the coming five years?
BK: We plan to continue to grow our business slowly and strategically. To the outside, ’slow growth’ might not appear to be part of our strategy but truthfully, we have held back distribution because we carefully evaluate all distribution opportunities keeping in mind, ‘What is the best thing for the brand long-term?’
One of our biggest initiatives is international expansion, one that I am particularly excited about. We just opened a sales office in Milan and we are simultaneously evaluating distribution partners for various regions throughout Japan and Asia.
We are not bullish on the concept of licensing but we do believe in licensing products that cannot be a core competency (such as beauty/fragrance) but that enhance the overall lifestyle aspect. In fact, we are currently in the process of negotiating a potential eyewear launch for 2009.
B: Is counterfeiting a problem for you? What are you doing to counteract it?
BK: We are just starting to experience problems with counterfeiting and are aggressively pursuing each case by taking immediate legal action. To date the problems have been limited to Asia.
B: What fashion houses are doing things right? And why?
BK:Â Having had the good fortune to work at the Gucci Group, I gained insight into their philosophy of running a luxury brand. I think the Gucci has done a great job of growing the top line, yet maintaining its luxury appeal. Of course so has Louis Vuitton. It’s a true balancing act to grow both the top and bottom line while simultaneously maintaining a luxury positioning, pushing the design envelope and staying true to your brand DNA.
On a different level, I really admire what J Crew is doing right now. They clearly know who their customer is, understand her lifestyle, and know how to provide her with the products she can’t live without.
B: When Tom Ford left, people left Gucci for dead. Yet today it is stronger than ever. When does a fashion house go from being about a person to being about a brand? Has that transition happened at Tory Burch?
BK: That transition certainly hasn’t happened at our company and I don’t see that happening anytime in the foreseeable future. Tory informs so much of what we do from the store design to the product so fortunately for us she is 100% committed to the future of the company!
B: What role does branding play at Tory Burch? What is your internal process to ensure that it stays strong and coherent?
BK: Our company is built on focused branding. From the shoe boxes, to the retail store design, to the product there is one very focused and coherent vision. It is something that we make sure the heads of every department understand and translate to their team. Across every segment of the business, from design and sales, to marketing and retail, we make sure that we stand for the same thing and provide our customer with a seamless experience that reflects luxury.
B: Your formative years were spent at DKNY, where you rose through the ranks to eventually become the president of the International and Licensing division. How did your time there help to shape you?
BK: It is amazing how the almost 9 years of experience at Donna Karan continue to influence some of my decision making today. It was a large, complex organization where management experienced and learned from the company’s many successes and its failures. There are so many accomplished executives in our industry who came out of DK; it was a phenomenal training ground.
B: Your parents are German and you thus speak the language fluently. How important is speaking languages other than English in the fashion world?
BK: As the world and our industry becomes more and more global, being multi-lingual gives one a competitive edge. But more importantly, it expands one’s personal horizons. I am a firm believer in raising bi-lingual children these days, even if both parents speak only English. My son will be raised bi-lingually even if German isn’t the most marketable of languages!
B: Folllowing your time at Alexander McQueen, you went on to become the president of the Michael Kors US collection business. How does the domestic business differ from that of international?
BK: The domestic business is so incredibly different from the European, for example, international business because a majority of the business is driven by US department stores as opposed to specialty stores. So for starters there are a lot less relationships to manage. Dept stores are very focused on gross margins and profitability and the representatives of the dept stores work with many different vendors. Specialty stores are more personally invested in the relationship and the most importantly the product.
There is also a big difference in the product needs between the domestic and international businesses. I always say a best seller, is a best seller, is a best seller and that doesn’t change whether we are in Seoul or Seattle. However, I believe a brand has to really understand the various consumer nuances of each region if they want to build sizeable businesses abroad. The organization has to be nimble and create and deliver product that speaks to the end consumer.
B: What advice would you give a young designer who has had a few successful collections? What should be the next steps?
BK: I believe it’s all about the people you surround yourself with, so I would suggest that they first find a good business partner(s) who complements his or her strengths. They should have people who they can really trust to help make strategic decisions. Also, although it may sound contrived, they need to stay true to their vision and not succumb to the pressure.
B: What does your future hold, professionally and personally?
BK: I am really looking forward to continuing to build the Tory Burch brand globally. We have so much more to do and the possibilities are endless!
Click here to see part I of this interview.
To visit the Tory Burch website, click here.
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