Ruth Chapman OBE | |
---|---|
Born | Ruth Elizabeth Chapman December 1961 (age 61) |
Nationality | British |
Occupation | Businessperson |
Known for | MATCHESFASHION.COM |
Spouse | Tom Chapman (entrepreneur) |
Ruth Elizabeth Chapman OBE (born December 1961 [1] ) is co-founder and former co-CEO of luxury fashion retailer MATCHESFASHION.COM.
Born on the Wirral, Chapman attended West Kirby Grammar School for Girls. [2] [3]
While growing up, Chapman said she was always interested in fashion and the "power of clothes". She was influenced by her mother, stepmother, and grandmother [3] and, as a teenager, spent the weekends rifling through fashion thrift stores. [3]
After leaving school, Chapman went on to work at fashion brand Jaeger, department store Harrods, and a video production company. [3] [4] At the age of 21, Chapman met Tom Chapman, who convinced her to leave her job to help him run a fashion boutique. [3]
Ruth and Tom Chapman co-founded MATCHESFASHION.COM as a single brick-and-mortar fashion store in Wimbledon, London in 1987. [2] The couple expanded the luxury fashion chain to 14 stores in London, including launching franchise stores for MaxMara and Diane von Furstenberg. [5]
Chapman was known in the industry for working with new and up-and-coming talent, and has said that "discovering" new designers was key to the business' early success. [6] [7]
In 2007, the couple launched the MATCHESFASHION.COM website, which Chapman has called a "seismic moment" for the business. [5] From the launch of the website, the business grew at up to 100 percent per year. [5] The company now stocks over 450 brands shipping to 176 countries, making 95 percent of sales online. [7] [5]
In 2012, the Chapmans raised £20 million in venture capital from SEP and Highland Capital Partners. [5] The company also launched in-house label Raey. [3] In 2015, Ruth and Tom Chapman stepped down as co-CEO of MATCHESFASHION.COM to become joint chairmen. [8]
In 2017, Apax Partners acquired MATCHESFASHION.COM in a deal that valued the company at more than $1 billion. [8] The couple retain a minority stake in the business. [9]
In 2017, Chapman joined the jury of the ANDAM fashion award. [10] Between 2013 and 2017, Chapman sat on the British Fashion Council's NEWGEN selection panel to find new UK fashion talent. [11]
Married to Tom Chapman, the couple have three children. [2] They have properties in London and Los Angeles, and have two dogs. [12]
Chapman supported The Telegraph's Women Mean Business campaign which aimed to close the finance gap between female and male entrepreneurs. [2] Chapman is a Patron of The Prince's Trust's Women Supporting Women campaign. [13]
In 2017, Ruth and Tom Chapman received the Drapers Award for Lifetime Achievement. [9] In 2018, Chapman was shortlisted for the Veuve Clicquot Business Woman of the Year Award. [6]
Ruth and Tom Chapman were both appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2020 New Year Honours for services to the international fashion retail industry. [14]
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