American designer Tory Burch's office seems out of place in a low-rise corporate building in Manhattan's Flat Iron district. Decked out in orange and fuchsia lacquered furniture, with mirrored tables covered in orchids, it looks more like an opulent apartment than the headquarters of a multimillion-dollar fashion empire.
In the middle of this tranquil den is a small, cluttered office. Its tables are piled with fabric swatches and papers, while family portraits adorn the walls. Stylish women enter and leave the room, each dressed in knee-high boots stamped with a T logo, as if to proclaim their membership of an elite fashion club.
At the centre of it all sits their leader, Tory Burch. A beautiful, petite woman in a chic tweed jacket, her all-American blonde hair tied up in a messy ponytail, she awaits a phone call from one of her three sons between meetings. 'I take them to school every day and make sure I am home by 6.30pm to put them to bed,' she says.
If you don't recognise the name Tory Burch, you soon will. The designer opens her first boutique in Hong Kong today at the IFC Mall in Central, making it her fifth free-standing store in Asia. In the six years since Burch founded her company she has opened a staggering 41 free-standing stores carrying her ready-to-wear and accessories lines, including eyewear, shoes, handbags and jewellery. Along with them have come several fashion awards, a spot on Forbes' list of The World's 100 Most Powerful Women and an annual turnover of US$250 million.
Despite this, Burch is modest about her accomplishments.
'I feel like on some level I will never be able to say, 'Wow, I've made it.' The whole ride of this company has been 'wow' for me and I will never get jaded about it. The successes we've had have been a surprise so I never take it for granted. I would not be anywhere without my team. My talent is surrounding myself with great people,' she says, laughing that the only man on her staff of more than 40 is her brother.