TORY BURCH on BUDDY
My father, Buddy Robinson, always made an impression. He had impeccable manners and limitless compassion. Combine this with a wicked and dry sense of humour: irresistible. His charm drew people to him. His sense of style was incredible and he did everything with great panache, even mowing our lawn. One of my favourite memories is of him riding our tractor wearing espadrilles and listening to a tiny radio. He designed his own clothes, and I think he would have been an amazing designer. Our Tory Burch Foundation logo is inspired by a sunflower charm he designed. And I created a pendant based off a gold Zippo lighter that he encrusted with charms. I carry his Zippo with me every day. And every collection has a nod to him, be it in striped suiting, printed linings, loafers or espadrilles. Buddy was a man who knew how to show his love. He would often write love notes to my mother, Reva, in the classified section of our local newspaper. And I’ll never forget my 18th birthday when he took me on a graduation trip to Venice. We explored every nook of the city, and in the evenings watched the canals light up with fireworks. It was truly magical. He loved to travel. Every summer he and my mother packed up their steamer trunks and sailed to Europe returning with stories and treasures from their travels. He was patient and even-keeled. I get my sense of calm from him, which has helped me immeasurably at critical points in my personal life and at work. When we were talking about the kind of culture we wanted at our company, we kept going back to the way Buddy, and my mother, lived with kindness, integrity, humour and a sense of pride in ourselves and our contributions. Soon after he passed away in 2007, we started referring to our core company culture and values as “Buddy”, and it stuck. Knowing him, he would absolutely be amused. He used to say: “Being a gentleman is not a part-time job,” and that’s a lesson I always repeat. I’m constantly quoting his wisdom to my children, and I think about him all the time. I’m lucky he still feels very present in my life.
Tory Burch, fashion designer and philanthropist, is executive chairman and chief creative officer of her eponymous fashion label.