Julian Dunkerton | |
|---|---|
 Dunkerton in June 2014 | |
| Born | 1 March 1965 London, England |
| Education | Ibstock Place School Orleans Park School Minster School |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Known for | Co-founder of Superdry |
| Spouses |
|
| Children | 4 |
Julian Marc Dunkerton (born March 1965) is a British businessman, and the co-founder of the fashion label Superdry.
Dunkerton's father Ivor and stepmother Susie founded and ran Dunkertons Organic Cider. [1] [2] Dunkerton moved to Herefordshire from London at the age of 14. [3]
He was educated at Ibstock Place School, London, Orleans Park School, Twickenham, from 11 to 14, and then the Minster School, Herefordshire. [4]
At the age of 19, Dunkerton, along with his business partner Ian Hibbs, founded the fashion retail chain Cult Clothing Co with a £2,000 loan. [1]
In 2014, Dunkerton took control of his family's cider company. In 2016, Dunkertons Organic Cider was moved from Herefordshire to a new cidery at Dowdeswell Park, near Cheltenham in Gloucestershire. [1]
In 2015, Dunkerton stepped down as chief executive of Superdry and was replaced by Euan Sutherland. [5] Dunkerton left Superdry in April 2018 to concentrate on his other business interests.[ citation needed ] He owns The Lucky Onion group, which operates a small group of hotels, restaurants and pubs in the Cotswolds. [6] In 2019, Dunkerton won a bid to be reinstated to the SuperGroup plc board, and Sutherland resigned as CEO. [7]
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, [8] and in the Park ward in 1991 [9] and 1992. [10]
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. [11] [12] He believes that the success of the Superdry business could not have occurred if Britain had been outside the European Union at the time. [11]
In the 2019 general election, he voted for the Liberal Democrats. [13]
Dunkerton lives in Cheltenham. [14] In February 2016, he sold just under £50 million of shares to fund his divorce settlement with his wife, Charlotte Abbot. [15] They had two children, one stepdaughter and one daughter. [15] [4]
In 2016, Dunkerton began dating fashion designer Jade Holland Cooper after they met in the bar at one of his hotels in Cheltenham. [16] They married in August 2018 in the Cotswolds where Craig David sang and Idris Elba deejayed. [14] [17] [16] They have two children, a daughter born in 2020 and a son born in 2022. [18]
He owns a private jet, which he describes as "a tool rather than an indulgence". [4]