Dragons’ Den investor Touker Suleyman is a famous British-Turkish Cypriot capitalist, fashion retail entrepreneur, and television personality. He is an award-winning businessman who owns popular fashion brands like GHOST, Hawes & Curtis and Low Profile Holdings. The business tycoon has over 40 years of experience in retail and manufacturing, making millions of pounds from fashion businesses.
Touker Suleyman is famous for establishing Hawes & Curtis- a classic British menswear brand. Several fashion brands, retail, and tech companies are a subsidiary of the entrepreneur’s retail holding company- Low Profile Group. The group has also provided attires for major British multinational retailer- Marks & Spencer, generating millions of sales.
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Touker Suleyman at Dragons’ Den
Touker Suleyman has been a part of the famous reality show- Dragon’s Den since 2015. Till now, the magnate has invested almost £2m in the show. Some of the investments made by the Dragon include Beamblock Yogo- A yoga workout equipment manufacturer, Timberkits (handcrafted wooden toys), Bad Brownie (a luxury brownie company), and Collagin- gin blended with collagen.
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Net Worth of Dragons’ Den Investor Touker Suleyman
With 637th rank on The Sunday Times Rich List, the net worth of Touker Suleyman is estimated to be over £200m. However, the magnate has struggled a lot and his journey hasn’t always been that easy. Touker started his career with a very humble beginning. He became an accountant at the age of 18 but soon quit the job to sell clothes. Thereafter he joined a leather factory as a partner and soon introduced a clothing manufacturer brand that supplied a few popular names on the British high street.
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Journey of Dragons’ Den Investor Touker Suleyman
In his mid-20s, after entering the fashion world, Suleyman soon became the chairman of two very famous public fashion brands. At the age of 23, the tycoon established his own clothing business named Kingsland Models, becoming a big success. Soon he made his first millions during his mid-20s. However, Touker faced a lot of challenges before his business rise. He has mentioned in several interviews that at that age he was in situations that were very difficult to deal with.
When everyone thought that Suleyman was at his highest, he lost everything and had to depend back on his family for financial support. During the 1980s, the accountants identified major debts behind one of his ventures and he was given only 42 days to find the missing 2 million pounds. Unluckily, an investor quit the entrepreneur’s business at the last moment, forcing the venture to shut down. At this moment, Suleyman was forced to start from scratch and build his venture again.
However, Touker didn’t give up. He continued to create a thriving multinational clothing manufacturer, which later became the heart of the entrepreneur’s ventures. In 2001, the entrepreneur’s company Low Profile Group bought Britain shirt producer Hawes & Curtis. In 2002, Suleyman bought Ghost- England’s leading fashion brand. Since then, the tycoon has invested in several start-ups. Touker is now a serial entrepreneur, backing 7 retail and commercial property ventures.
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Touker Suleyman Portfolio
Suleyman is keenly interested in promoting start-ups and he finances several small and growing British companies. Apart from his major companies, the businessman possesses another 22 investments solely in technology. At present, Hawes and Curtis is debt-free and spread all over the UK with 28 outlets in the country, producing a turnover of £21mln.
Alongside Hawes and Curtis, Touker has invested in an online advertising startup company- Intelligent Futures; Tru-Tension- a creative motorcycle and cycling brand; and Docks Rio- a casual boat shoe label. Moreover, the businessman has invested in a few startups, namely, Huxley & Cox, a producer of luxury handbags and Personify XP, an Artificial Intelligence customisation start-up.
Touker has also financed Bikesoup- an online platform for bicycles, which he funded with £100,000 for an undisclosed stake. According to Spear’s magazine, Suleyman’s net worth is £150m and the fashion industry contributes to most of it.
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The Dragon mentions that his lifestyle has not changed and he is still a partygoer. He used to drive Aston Martin from a very young age. He owns a BMW i3 and prioritizes good health, maintaining relations with loved ones and investing in Marks and Spencer. Touker advises all entrepreneurs and youngsters to never borrow the amount they can never return, and hence he believes in taking debt that is payable.