Julie Macklowe (born Julie Lerner in December 1977) is an American socialite, philanthropist and entrepreneur, who married into the Macklowe family.
In 2021, she released The Macklowe, an American single malt whisky. [1] [2] She previously founded vbeauté, a former skincare line for women. [3]
Macklowe was born in Aspen and raised in Arizona, [4] the daughter of Frank Lerner. She took over her grandfather's T-shirt company and transformed it into a women's sportswear company. [5] She completed her B.A. in economics and B.S. in commerce, graduating magna cum laude from the University of Virginia McIntire School of Commerce in 1999. It was there that she received an early induction into New York finance circles while taking John Griffin's class. [2]
In 2000, Macklowe worked with Chase Capital Management (now JPMorgan Partners) in Seoul and Hong Kong, where she helped structure leverage buyouts. [5] [6] Between 2003 and 2006, Macklowe was the managing director of Metropolitan Capital Management, and, in 2006, she joined the investment firm SAC, where she managed investment portfolios for Sigma Capital Management.
In 2009, backed by Millennium Partners, Macklowe opened her own $250 million hedge fund, Macklowe Asset Management. [7] [8] In October 2010, Macklowe closed the fund to pursue her own investments in fashion businesses. [9] In an interview the following year, she said, "I haven’t looked at a stock since the day I left.” [10]
In December 2010, Macklowe's first fashion industry investment, BaubleBar, launched with help from Accel Partners. [5] The online startup, sells jewelry directly from suppliers and designers, which normally work with retailers. [11] Macklowe helped the company in its initial fundraising efforts and currently sits on the company's board. [5]
Macklowe was the muse for Zang Toi, for his Spring 2013 collection and debuted on the runway show September 9, 2012. [12]
Macklowe launched her own skincare company, Vbeauté on November 1, 2011. [13] [14] [15] Vbeauté started as a luxury, travel-friendly toiletry kit that meets TSA regulations for carry on luggage and was developed by CRB Cosmetics, a research lab in Switzerland. The inspiration for the company came in 2009, when she was flying to a friend's wedding in France, when her toiletries were confiscated by security. In 2011, the company raised $4 million and sold at 37 stores. [16] [17] In September 2014, vbeauté launched a deal with the Home Shopping Network (HSN) to be sold exclusively at HSN and select boutiques. [18] [19] [20] Vbeauté sold a wide range of luxury skin care products, known for containing the Alpine Rose as a main ingredient. [21]
Vbeauté went out of business in 2019. [22]
In December 2021, Macklowe launched The Macklowe, an American single malt whiskey. Macklowe is distilled in limited quantities, and, according to The New York Times, retails for $1,500. [23] It is available at various New York bars and restaurants. [24] [25] [26] [27] [28] Macklowe told The Wall Street Journal that decades of curating her own collection of whiskey inspired her to create her own brand. [29]
Macklowe partnered with Scottish distiller and blender Ian MacMillan, known for his work with Bunnahabhain and Bladnoch. [2] [30] The brand follows a farm-to-table philosophy, which includes locally sourced malted barley. [31] The product is made, matured, and bottled in Kentucky using traditional bourbon production techniques, using a column still and copper doubler. [1] [32] The product is bottled in hand-crafted, hand-painted bottles that are designed after flasks. [25] [2]
Jean-Georges’ restaurants (Eleven Madison Park and Daniel), Marea, Carbone, Le Pavillon, Casa Cipriani, and Bemelmans at the Carlyle all serve the brand. [2]
In 2004, Julie married Billy Macklowe, son of Harry B. Macklowe, and founder of the William Macklowe Company. The couple lives in Manhattan and Long Island with their daughters. [33] In addition to their residence in New York City, the couple owns houses in both Aspen [34] and the Hamptons. [35]
In 2008, Macklowe was named Vogue magazine's "It Girl". [36]
In 2011, Macklowe hosted her 34th birthday party, which also featured the launch of her new vBeauté skin care line. The event was part of a cooperative effort to raise money for VH1's Save the Music Foundation. [14]
In December 2022, Macklowe's 45th birthday party made headlines for its high-profile 600-person guest list and risqué dress code of "leather and lingerie". The party, its guests, and fashion were featured in New York Magazine. [37]
Macklowe has been photographed at various social and philanthropic events wearing a range of designers including Dolce & Gabbana, Calvin Klein, Balenciaga and Oscar de la Renta. She has attended events such as the Couture Council and New Yorkers for Children fall gala. [10] [38] [39] [40] Macklowe also collects ball gowns, some of which have been showcased in the Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty art exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. [41] [42] [43]
She is a philanthropist. [44] Early in her career, Macklowe created the “Learn to Invest” class for the all-girls Cathedral High School in New York. [45]
Macklowe previously sat on the board of VH1’s Save the Music Foundation. [46] [47] Macklowe and her husband co-chaired the annual concert dinner at their summer estate in the Hamptons for the VH1 Save the Music Foundation in 2015; [47] [48] [49] the concert raised nearly $800,000. [50] [51]
Macklowe is actively involved with the Seven Bar Foundation, a non-profit which provides microfinance for impoverished women. She also serves on the friends committees for New Yorkers for Children, a non-profit which focuses on the academic success of foster children, and the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, to whom she has contributed four of the exhibit's gowns. [52] [53] [54] [55]
After Hurricane Sandy hit New York, Macklowe and her family offered to take refugees into their Upper East Side home.[ citation needed ]
Macklowe sits on the advisory board of the University of Virginia McIntire School of Commerce. [10] She is also a founding advisory board member for Fashion Week at Lincoln Center, [56] the current Chairwoman of the Fashion Institute of Technology's Couture Council, [57] and co-chaired the 2015 Couture Council Luncheon. [58]
Whisky or whiskey is a type of liquor made from fermented grain mash. Various grains are used for different varieties, including barley, corn, rye, and wheat. Whisky is typically aged in wooden casks, which are typically made of charred white oak. Uncharred white oak casks previously used for the aging of port, rum or sherry are also sometimes used.
Chanel is a luxury fashion house founded in 1910 by Coco Chanel in Paris. It is privately owned by French brothers, Alain and Gérard Wertheimer, through the holding company Chanel Limited, established in 2018 and headquartered in London.
Stella Nina McCartney is an English fashion designer. She is a daughter of British singer-songwriter Paul McCartney and the American photographer and animals rights activist Linda McCartney. Like her parents, McCartney is a supporter of animal rights and environmentalism, and uses vegetarian and animal-free alternatives in her work. Since 2005, she has designed an activewear collection for Adidas.
Christian Dior SE, commonly known as Dior, is a French multinational luxury fashion house controlled and chaired by French businessman Bernard Arnault, who also heads LVMH. Dior holds 42.36% shares and 59.01% of voting rights within LVMH.
Elie Saab is a Lebanese fashion designer.
Reem Acra is a fashion designer born in Beirut, Lebanon, known for her eponymous bridal gown line and her ready-to-wear collection.
Harry B. Macklowe is an American real estate developer and investor based in New York City.
Kelly Jean Killoren Bensimon is an American real estate agent, author, a former Editor of Elle Accessories, and a former model. She appeared as a full-time cast member on the Bravo television series The Real Housewives of New York City from seasons 2 to 4.
Tory Burch is an American fashion designer, businesswoman, and philanthropist. She is the Executive Chairman and Chief Creative Officer of her own brand, Tory Burch LLC. She was listed as the 88th most powerful woman in the world by Forbes in 2020.
Ramona Singer is an American television personality, businesswoman, and author. She is best known as a cast member on the Bravo reality television series The Real Housewives of New York City, in which she has starred in the first 13 seasons from 2008 to 2021.
Marjorie Gubelmann is a prominent socialite, philanthropist, TV personality and celebrity DJ.
Antthony Mark Hankins is an American fashion designer who founded Antthony Mark Hankins Inc. in 1994. By his mid-twenties he had built his own $40 million business and was named by Newsweek as one of the top 100 people to watch in America.
Polyvore was a community-powered social commerce website headquartered in Mountain View, California. The company's virtual mood board function allowed community members to add products into a shared product index, and use them to create image collages called "Sets". They could browse other users' sets for inspiration, share sets with friends and interact with people through comments and likes. Due to the visual nature of the tool Polyvore was mostly used to build sets in the fields of home decoration, beauty and fashion. Online retailers, too, could upload their product images to Polyvore and link back to their product pages or use Polyvore to encourage users to showcase their products through such activities as board creation competitions.
432 Park Avenue is a residential skyscraper at 57th Street and Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, overlooking Central Park. The 1,396-foot-tall (425.5 m) tower was developed by CIM Group and Harry B. Macklowe and designed by Rafael Viñoly. A part of Billionaires' Row, 432 Park Avenue has some of the most expensive residences in the city, with the median unit selling for tens of millions of dollars. At the time of its completion in 2015, 432 Park Avenue was the third-tallest building in the United States and the tallest residential building in the world. As of 2023, it is the sixth-tallest building in the United States, the fifth-tallest building in New York City, and the third-tallest residential building in the world.
vbeauté was founded by Julie Macklowe to provide women with Swiss made anti-age skincare products. vbeauté is a skin care line based on advanced botanical technology using plant stem cell complexes. Macklowe launched vbeauté on November 1, 2011. vbeauté's range of products include: peptide-based anti-aging face and eye serums, moisturizers, eye cream, sunscreen, and a face cleanser and exfoliator. vbeauté’s key ingredient in all of their products is Swiss Alpine Rose, a cold-resistant plant from the Swiss Alps. Together, along with several other botanical ingredients, these plant extracts combine to form a complex compound which has anti-aging and protective properties. All vbeauté products are formulated in Switzerland, free of fragrance and parabens, and dermatologist and allergy tested.
Mindy Grossman is the former CEO of WW International. Her earlier career included executive roles at Ralph Lauren Corporation and Nike, and she was also CEO of HSN from 2006 - 2017. She has been listed on Financial Times's list of the Top 50 Women In World Business, and was ranked among Forbes' 100 Most Powerful Women In The World, as well as in Fortune's Top People in Business.
Liz Lange is an American fashion designer and businessperson. She is the creative director and CEO of Figue, and the founder of Liz Lange Maternity, which introduced form-fitting designer pregnancy wear in 1998. Lange has been called a pioneer in the apparel industry.
Julie de Libran is a French fashion designer. She has worked for leading fashion houses such as Gianfranco Ferré, Gianni Versace, Prada and Louis Vuitton. She specializes in women’s fashion, celebrity and event dressing and made-to-measure. In May 2014 she was named the artistic director of Sonia Rykiel. In June 2019 she launched her own fashion line, Julie de Libran Paris, a women’s made-to-order couture collection.
Ann Marie Sarnoff is an American television executive. She became the chairwoman and CEO of Warner Bros. in the summer of 2019. Sarnoff was the first woman to hold the position at the company.
The Macklowe is an American brand of single malt whiskey created by entrepreneur Julie Macklowe. The whiskey is distilled in Kentucky and aged seven years. A limited run of 237 was produced from its first cask.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)