Fashion Designer Eileen Fisher's $210 Million Fortune Built On Simple Basics

While fashions come and go, one designer and her styles stand the test of time. Eileen Fisher, who operates out of Irvington-NY, has chosen to stay true to her vision for decades, refusing to fall whimsy to changing trends.
“I talk about timeless design, something that transcends the moment but somehow belongs to the moment,” she said. “How much do we be in this moment and how long will the moment last?”
For years, her focus has been to design simple, comfortable pieces using sustainable materials that women can wear on many occasions. It hasn’t always been easy but by being steadfast to her vision, she’s grown her company, which sells items in more than 60 Eileen Fisher stores in 21 states,to $429 million and amassed a small fortune along the way.

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By our calculations, Fisher, who owns 65% of the company (her employees own the other 35% through an employee stock ownership program) is worth just over $210 million. With that net worth, she is one of several female entrepreneurs involved in lifestyle businesses (others include Martha Stewart and the two founders of Vera Bradley) who just missed the cut for Forbes’ first ever list of top 50 richest self-made women.
“When I started designing, I was a clothing designer trying to solve the problem of women getting dressed and how to make it simpler, rather than finding the next cute style,” Fisher said. “I think we struggle to stay true to that as we get larger.”
Fisher says one key to her success, besides her focus, has been viewing challenges as opportunities. In 1984, then a 33-year-old graphic artist living in New York City, she took a risk, starting her own women’s clothing line with just $350 to invest.Her first line – which consisted of four pieces: a box top, crop pant, tunic and shell top — didn’t sell well at her first boutique show. Fisher, however, didn’t lose hope or focus. She revised her designs and made more clothes, borrowing money from family and friends.Three months later, at the next boutique show, she sold $40,000 worth of clothing. “That was the official launch of the business,” she said. “I knew I had an idea that had potential.”
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