James Holder (businessman)

Born in Studley, Warwickshire , he was brought up in Stratford-upon-Avon and went to college in Leamington Spa where he studied graphic design.[2][3] As a teenager, he enjoyed reading comics.[4]

Holder started his career in fashion, selling T-shirts from the back of his mother's car at BMX events.[2] He went on to found skateborder label Bench.[2] Failure of the business led to bankruptcy in 1998.[2]

While running Bench, Holder met Julian Dunkerton, who made a large order of Holder's products.[5] They later travelled to Japan together before founding Superdry.[6]

In 2003, Holder co-founded Superdry with Julian Dunkerton as a market stall in Cheltenham.[7] In 2004, it opened its first physical store in Covent Garden, London.[8][7] Holder was responsible for clothing design and brand development at the company.[9]

Holder said that he and Dunkerton spotted a "huge gap" in the UK men's market.[10] He has said that the initial inspiration for the brand was Dunkerton's love of Americana and his love of Japan and typography.[10][5]

In 2005, Superdry experienced a period of growth after David Beckham was seen wearing the brand.[2]

In 2010, the business was floated.[8] Holder led Superdry's product innovation division until 2016.[11] Holder also led SuperDesignLab, which was responsible for launching spin-off brand Superdry Sport.[12]

In 2016, Holder resigned from the company, but continues to hold a 10 percent stake in Superdry.[8][13]

In 2018, Holder joined fellow co-founder Julian Dunkerton in criticising Superdry's business strategy, claiming that it was unable to compete with ASOS.com.[8][14][15][16]

He lives in the Cotswolds with his wife Jessica and son Noah.[2]