Silas Chou

Hong Kong tycoon Silas Chou hails from a renowned family of textile and apparel manufacturers. But it was when he acquired Tommy Hilfiger in 1989, with associate Lawrence Stroll, that he became a big player in the global fashion industry.

Chou oversees one of the most significant operations in the global fashion supply scene with extensive textile mills, denim plants and design factories located in China, Vietnam and South Asia. Over the years he has invested in brands including Karl Lagerfeld and Pepe Jeans, and launched Iconix China Group, which is run by his daughter Veronica. The company distributes fashion brands like Badgley Mischka and Ed Hardy in the country.

In December 2015, BoF revealed that Chou's investment vehicle Bright Fame Fashion, headed by his daughter Vivian Chou, had acquired a controlling stake in Thakoon. The label's eponymous designer  Thakoon Panichgul dubbed the deal "an incredible opportunity to innovate and build the Thakoon brand internationally."

The jewel in his crown, however, was Michael Kors , which went public in 2011 and was valued in September 2014 at close to $15 billion. In 2014, Chou and business partner Lawrence Stroll sold their 5.7 percent stake in the company.

Chou's influence goes beyond acquiring and growing fashion brands; it was recently announced that he would provide financial support for the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund’s China Exchange programme, underscoring Mr Chou’s emergence as something of an elder statesman in Chinese fashion.

In 2017, Forbes reported Chou’s net worth to be $2.7 billion.