Christopher Paul BaileyCBE (born 11 May 1971) is a British
fashion designer who was president and chief creative officer of
Burberry.[1][2][3] In May 2014, he took up the role of chief creative officer and president, following the departure of former CEO
Angela Ahrendts.[4] In February 2018, he was succeeded as chief creative officer by
Riccardo Tisci.[5]
Early life and education
Christopher Paul Bailey[6] was born in
Yorkshire, England, the son of a carpenter and a window dresser for
Marks and Spencer.[7] He graduated from the
Royal College of Art with a master's degree in 1994,[8] where he was later awarded an honorary fellowship in 2004[9] and, in 2013, an honorary-doctorate degree.[10]
Career
From 1994 to 1996, he was the womenswear designer at
Donna Karan and senior designer of womenswear at
Gucci in Milan from 1996 to 2001. He joined
Burberry in May 2001 as design director and became creative director in 2004, and chief creative officer in November 2009.[7][11]
In 2008, Bailey, alongside Angela Ahrendts, established the Burberry Foundation, dedicated to helping young people realise their dreams and potential through the power of their creativity. The Burberry Foundation invests in select charities focused on supporting young people in the key cities in regions where the majority of Burberry employees live and work, and where they are able to participate in volunteer roles.[12]
On 15 October 2013, Bailey was named as the next CEO of Burberry following
Angela Ahrendts's departure to Apple in mid-2014.[13] Bailey took up the role of chief creative officer and CEO on 1 May 2014.
Bailey is credited with transforming the fortunes of the company,[7] turning it into the luxury industry's digital leader and overseeing a reinvigoration of the company's design.[14] Bailey masterminded the design of Burberry's largest store, 121 Regent Street in London, opened in 2012, a bricks-and-mortar incarnation of the brand's website.[15] He also oversaw the design and development of the 160,000-square-foot (15,000 m2) Burberry Global Headquarters at Horseferry House in London, opened in 2009.[citation needed]
In July 2016, it was announced that
Marco Gobbetti, CEO of
Céline, would be the next CEO of
Burberry. Gobbetti took over from Bailey in November 2017, who then transitioned
to the role of president while also retaining the title of chief creative officer.[16][1][17][18] In July 2017, Gobbetti replaced Bailey as CEO.[19] Bailey resigned from the board in March 2018 and departed entirely from Burberry the following December.[20]
Personal life
While in Milan, Bailey met and began dating Geert Cloet, brand designer for
Miu Miu. He split his time between his home in Milan and
England. When Cloet was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2004, he and Bailey moved to
Yorkshire to be near Bailey's family. Cloet died the next year.[21]
Bailey has been in a relationship with British actor
Simon Woods since 2009,[22] and they married in 2012.[23] They have two daughters, Iris and Nell.[24]
In May 2014 Bailey became the first openly gay executive among
FTSE 100 corporations.[25]