Over the past eight years, the Tory Burch brand has grown into something of a fashion phenomenon. I can barely think of a day when I haven’t seen a girl in Tory ballet flats or toting a handbag with the famous Burch emblem prominently displayed on its side.
Most recently however, Burch has been focusing on more than fashion design and the debut of her Resort 2013 collection, but also on upping the ante of fans digital experience with her brand.
Very recently, Burch gave her blog a makeover and launched her first ever app for iPhone and iPad.
Why the digital updates? For starters, just think of how many brands now have e-commerce sites, blogs, and Facebook pages. Since these three things are pretty much fashion brand standards at this point, brands have to go above and beyond to stand out and stay relevant (besides just creating great fashion design).
Burch’s blog makeover launched this week along with a smattering of posts focused on the color blue. Tory Burch Facebook fans were asked to check out the new blog look and new navy pieces, of which over 1,125 people “liked” the post in the matter of hours. According to Burch’s creative director, the blog hasn’t had a face lift since 2009 and it’s now more “visually driven”.
Burch’s new app (available on iPad and iPhone) lets users get cool perks, like free shipping and invites to exclusive events. Obviously, app users also get another way to connect with Tory Burch’s world.
While nice, neither update really surprises me. It was due time for a Tory Burch app (yay!). And given the popularity of sites like Tumblr and Pinterest, photo apps like Instagram, and how long infographics (even the terrible ones) have stuck around, I’m not at all surprised about this blog’s visual turn.
However, one other major development is on the calendar. Later this month, shopping through the e-commerce site will be available to 30 international countries. I’ll be tuned in to see how cleverly the Burch brand interacts with these new markets, and ok, perhaps saving to buy a certain navy bag.
pretty-innovative.com 
I excitedly downloaded the ipad app yesterday…love all things TB!
Tory was the keynote speaker at a Startup America event encouraging entrepreneurship for women, especially young women, a few months back in Boston. Nobody, including me, thought to ask her the really important question: “What have you learned about choosing a life-partner – if you want your life to be about leadership and entrepreneurship?” That may be a far more important choice than all the product, design and marketing questions that got asked. Her audience would have greatly benefited from her insights – had the question been asked and answered.
That’s a great point, Robert! Who you surround yourself with, especially your life partner, can be key or detrimental to success.