Page 67 - Forbes - Asia (April 2019)
P. 67
Outdoor lounge area James McBride (left) and Chris Burch
and prefer to holiday with their dad at his property outside
Nihiwatu Beach is popular Paris. His boys are from his marriage to fashion designer and
among surfers drawn by ex-wife Tory Burch. “My boys love Nihi, though. We try to
the perfect wave breaking go together twice a year, for two weeks each time.” Buying the
just offshore.
property, Burch says, “came about just as a way to do some-
thing nice for my kids, and it turned into something that’s a
special place for a lot of people.”
Indeed, the deepest satisfaction Burch gets today, he says,
is not only from creating great memories at Nihi with his own
children, but in seeing other families do the same. “As any
parent knows, time goes by very fast. It gives me such plea-
sure to see families have a fantastic time at Nihi. It’s a luxury
vacation, but it’s not just all about hanging out at the pool—
there’s horse riding on the beach and hiking, a whole variety
of cultural activities,” says Burch. “It’s really impactful.”
Burch’s foray into resorts is a far cry from his original ca-
reer in retailing. Burch made his first fortune about two de-
cades ago, selling the preppy clothing brand he and his broth-
er Robert started, Eagle’s Eye, in a 1998 deal that valued the
company at $60 million. During the years that followed,
Burch’s wealth grew through canny investments in telecom,
real estate, retail and technology. His debut on the Billion-
COURTESY OF NIHI SUMBA aires list came in 2013, after Burch reaped $650 million sell-
ing most of the 28% stake he’d held in the Tory Burch fashion
business that he and his ex-wife had built over the previous
decade. He fell off the billionaires list in 2015, but remains
very wealthy.
APRIL 2019 FORBES ASIA | 63
