Julian Dunkerton

Julian Marc Dunkerton (born March 1965) is a British businessman, and the co-founder of the fashion label Superdry.

Julian Dunkerton
Dunkerton in June 2014
Born
Julian Marc Dunkerton

March 1965 (age 55)
London, England
NationalityBritish
EducationIbstock Place School
Orleans Park School
Minster School
OccupationBusinessman
Known forCo-founder of Superdry
Home townLeominster, Herefordshire, England
Net worth£441 million (2018)[1]
Spouse(s)Charlotte Abbot (divorced)
Children2 daughters

Early life

Dunkerton's father Ivor and stepmother Susie founded and ran Dunkertons Organic Cider.[2][3] Dunkerton moved to Herefordshire from London at the age of 14.[4]

He was educated at Ibstock Place School, London, Orleans Park School, Twickenham, from 11 to 14, and then the Minster School, Herefordshire.[5]

Career

At the age of 19, Dunkerton, along with his then business partner Ian Hibbs, founded the fashion retail chain Cult Clothing Co with a £2,000 loan.[2] They started selling the clothing from an indoor market stall in Cheltenham.[6] Over the course of 15 years, Dunkerton and Hibbs built Cult Clothing to a chain of stores with a turnover of £17 million.[6]

In 2003, Dunkerton and co-founder James Holder launched fashion brand Superdry. The idea for the company came from a trip to Japan.[6] A number of celebrities, including David Beckham, Leonardo DiCaprio and Idris Elba were spotted wearing the label.[6]

In 2010, the company was floated on the London Stock Exchange at a value for £400 million.[6] As of January 2018, the company has more than 500 stores in 40 countries.[6]

In 2014, Dunkerton took control of his family's cider company, and brought in business partner Jeremy Benson (aka Bean), to work alongside his father Ivor, developing his palate and learning the craft of organic cider and perry making. In 2016, Dunkertons Organic Cider was moved from Herefordshire to a brand new cidery at the 250-acre Dowdeswell Park, near Cheltenham in Gloucestershire.[2]

In 2015, Dunkerton stepped down as chief executive of Superdry, and remained on the board as brand founder and product development director, to concentrate on his passions for developing new products and mentoring up and coming designers.[6]

Dunkerton left Superdry in April 2018 to concentrate on his other business interests. He owns The Lucky Onion group, which operates a small group of hotels, restaurants and pubs in the Cotswolds, England.[7]

In April 2019, Sutherland resigned as CEO of SuperGroup plc after Dunkerton won a bid to be reinstated to the SuperGroup plc board.[8]

Political activism

In the early 1990s, Dunkerton stood three times as a Labour Party candidate in the Cheltenham Borough Council elections. He stood in the St. Peter's ward in 1990,[9] and in the Park ward in 1991[10] and 1992.[11]

In August 2018, Dunkerton donated £1 million to People's Vote, a campaign group calling for a public vote on the final Brexit deal between the UK and the European Union.[12][13] He believes that the success of the Superdry business could not have occurred if Britain had been outside the European Union at the time.[12]

In the 2019 general election, he voted for the Liberal Democrats.[14]

Personal life

Dunkerton lives in Cheltenham.[1] In February 2016, he sold just under £50 million of shares to fund his divorce settlement with his wife, Charlotte Abbot.[15] He has two children, one stepdaughter and one daughter.[15][5]

In August 2018, Dunkerton married fashion designer Jade Holland Cooper.[1][16]

He owns a private jet, which he describes as "a tool rather than an indulgence".[5]

gollark: They cost eyes of ender, so I never use them until I do.
gollark: Oh, I forget about those at random.
gollark: It is?!
gollark: Yeeees.
gollark: Oh wait, they can't do *extract* priority.

References
  1. Savage, Michael (18 August 2018). "Julian Dunkerton: the man who gave £1m to the People's Vote campaign". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 August 2018.
  2. Parford, Lucy. "CEO Interview: Julian Dunkerton, Superdry and the Lucky Onion Group". Cotswold Life. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  3. "Julian Marc DUNKERTON – Personal Appointments (free information from Companies House)". Companies House, Government of the United Kingdom. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  4. "Julian Dunkerton: All you need to know about the Superdry co-founder who has just married designer Jade Holland Cooper". Gloucestershire Live.
  5. Hester Lacey (22 September 2017). "Q&A with cider maker and Superdry founder Julian Dunkerton". Financial Times. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
  6. "BIG SHOT OF THE WEEK: Superdry founder Julian Dunkerton". This is Money. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  7. "The Lucky Onion | Hotels, Restaurants, Pubs | Cotswolds, England". The Lucky Onion. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  8. Wood, Zoe; Butler, Sarah (2 April 2019). "Superdry: Julian Dunkerton wins battle to rejoin firm – and entire board resigns". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
  9. "Borough election results – 1990 results". Cheltenham Borough Council. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  10. "Borough election results – 1991 results". Cheltenham Borough Council. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  11. "Borough election results – 1992 results". Cheltenham Borough Council. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  12. Staff writer (19 August 2018). "Brexit vote campaign gets £1m from Superdry co-founder". BBC News. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
  13. Savage, Michael (18 August 2018). "Julian Dunkerton: the man who gave £1m to the People's Vote campaign". The Observer. Front page. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
  14. "Dozens of business leaders back Lib Dems as party tries to outflank Tories". inews.co.uk. 29 November 2019.
  15. "Superdry guy Julian Dunkerton weds designer Jade Holland Cooper". The Times.
  16. "Fashion entrepreneur Jade Holland Cooper on her Scottish influences". The Scotsman. Retrieved 20 August 2018.
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