James Holder (businessman)

James Holder (December 1971) is co-founder of fashion brand Superdry.

James Holder
Born
James Michael Holder

December 1971 (age 49)
NationalityBritish
OccupationBusinessman
Known forFounder of Superdry
Net worth£199 million
Spouse(s)Charlotte Victoria Holder (née Dencer)
Children3

According to The Sunday Times Rich List, he has a net worth of £199 million.[1]

Early life

Born in Studley, Warwickshire , he was brought up in Stratford-upon-Avon and went to college in Leamington Spa where he studied graphic design.[2][3] As a teenager, he enjoyed reading comics.[3]

Holder started his career in fashion, selling T-shirts from the back of his mother's car at BMX events.[2] He went on to found skateborder label Bench.[2] Failure of the business led to bankruptcy in 1998.[2]

While running Bench, Holder met Julian Dunkerton, who made a large order of Holder's products.[3] They later travelled to Japan together before founding Superdry.[4]

Career

In 2003, Holder co-founded Superdry with Julian Dunkerton as a market stall in Cheltenham.[5] In 2004, it opened its first physical store in Covent Garden, London.[6][5] Holder was responsible for clothing design and brand development at the company.[7]

Holder said that he and Dunkerton spotted a "huge gap" in the UK men's market.[8] He has said that the initial inspiration for the brand was Dunkerton's love of Americana and his love of Japan and typography.[8][3]

In 2005, Superdry experienced a period of growth after David Beckham was seen wearing the brand.[2]

In 2010, the business was floated.[6] Holder led Superdry's product innovation division until 2016.[9] Holder also led SuperDesignLab, which was responsible for launching spin-off brand Superdry Sport.[10]

In 2016, Holder resigned from the company, but continues to hold a 10 percent stake in Superdry.[6][7]

In 2018, Holder joined fellow co-founder Julian Dunkerton in criticising Superdry's business strategy, claiming that it was unable to compete with ASOS.com.[6][9][11][12]

Personal life

He lives at Hawling Manor in the Cotswolds with his wife Charlotte, a lawyer, and their son and daughter.[2][13]

References
  1. "Login". login.thesundaytimes.co.uk. Retrieved 2019-02-13.
  2. Strachan, Ian (2017-01-26). "Rich List 2017: No.27 - James Holder". birminghampost. Retrieved 2019-02-13.
  3. "James Holder on creating fashion brand Superdry - DesignCurial". www.designcurial.com. Retrieved 2019-02-13.
  4. Anthonymcgrath405 (2014-05-15). "The Superguy from Superdry, James Holder - Textual Conversation". CLOTHES MAKE THE MAN. Retrieved 2019-02-13.
  5. "Subscribe to read". Financial Times. Retrieved 2019-02-13. Cite uses generic title (help)
  6. Hipwell, Deirdre (2018-10-23). "Second co-founder pours scorn on Superdry strategy". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2019-02-13.
  7. "Resignation: Superdry co-founder James Holder steps down as brand and design director". sportswear-international.com. Retrieved 2019-02-13.
  8. "The guy behind Superdry". Esquire Middle East. Retrieved 2019-02-13.
  9. Brown, 23 October 2018By Harriet. "Superdry co-founder weighs in on strategy debate". Drapers. Retrieved 2019-02-13.
  10. "Q&A with James Holder, Superdry Head of SuperDesign Lab and Co-Founder". UK Fashion B2B Magazine. 2017-07-25. Retrieved 2019-02-13.
  11. "James Holder Asos Boohoo.com defend Cheltenham-based Julian Dunkerton Superdry warning Times". www.punchline-gloucester.com. Retrieved 2019-02-13.
  12. "Second Superdry co-founder speaks out against the company's strategy". The Industry. 2018-10-23. Retrieved 2019-02-13.
  13. "Holder Design Limited". Companies House. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
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