Dooney & Bourke

Dooney & Bourke is an American luxury leather goods brand founded in 1975 by designer Peter Dooney and entrepreneur Frederic Bourke in Norwalk, Connecticut. Originally a men's supplier of belts, suspenders, and ties,[1] the company now specializes in handbags and small accessories.[2] Peter Dooney has maintained his role as designer at the company throughout the brand's history.[1] Dooney's competitors include Coach and Kate Spade.[3]

Dooney & Bourke, Inc.
TypePrivate
IndustryFashion
Founded1975 (1975) in Norwalk, Connecticut, U.S.
Founder
  • Peter Dooney
  • Frederic Bourke
Headquarters1 Regent St., Norwalk, Connecticut 06855 USA
41.106248°N 73.3993482°W / 41.106248; -73.3993482
Key people
  • Peter Dooney (CEO, President, Chief Designer)
  • Rico Trevino (Executive Vice President)
  • Benjamin Hill (Vice President)
  • Jolanta Bershefsky (Art Director)
Products
Websitedooney.com

History
Dooney & Bourke All-Weather Leather handbag

Dooney & Bourke started in 1975 when Peter Dooney and Frederic Bourke launched their namesake in Norwalk, Connecticut. Dooney was CEO of manufacturing and marketing, while Bourke served as principle finance and investment officer.[4]

The duo started with men's leather belts and suspenders, handmade by Peter Dooney, inspired by military gear, mail pouches, and saddlebags. Dooney & Bourke debuted its first women's handbags in 1981 launch of the All-Weather Leather collection, featuring pebble-textured leather, smooth leather trim, and a tongue-and-loop closure.[2]

Dooney's merchandise is distributed in Nordstrom, Brooks Brothers, and Saks Fifth Avenue, as well as Dooney's own store in Norwalk, Connecticut.[4] In 2006, the Emma Bag, a small oval sized bag named after Emma Roberts, was created.[5] In 2007, actress Hayden Panettiere created a line of bags for Dooney, including the Hayden bag and the Chiara, a patent leather bag.[6]

Louis Vuitton Malletier v. Dooney & Bourke, Inc.

In April 2004, Louis Vuitton filed a suit against Dooney & Bourke, stating Dooney had infringed its Murakami Monogram Multicolore collection. On May 30, 2008, District Court Judge Shira Scheindlin ruled in favor of Dooney & Bourke and dismissed the case.[7]

A handbag from Louis Vuitton's Murakami Monogram Multicolore collection
Dooney & Bourke multicolored monogram handbag

Conspiracy and bribery conviction of Bourke

On July 9, 2009, Frederic Bourke was found guilty by a jury and convicted of conspiracy and bribery under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and Travel Act in the Southern District of New York.[8] Bourke was convicted of conspiring with Czech national, Viktor Kožený, known as "Pirate of Prague," [9] to pay bribes to the ex-president and government officials of Azerbaijan. The bribery involved a 1998 scheme including the sale and purchase of the Azeri state oil company.[10]

Although Bourke did not personally bribe the government officials and lost his $8 million investment in a hedge fund managed by Kožený, Bourke was found to have known that money invested in the fund was used for bribing Azeri officials with cash and a secret two-thirds interest in the oil company.[10] After the jury verdict, Bourke was fined $1 million and sentenced to one year in prison, followed by three years of probation.[11]

References
  1. "Dooney & Bourke Goes Back 42 Years". QVC. August 26, 2022. Retrieved August 26, 2022.
  2. Minkoff, Jessica (April 6, 2016). "Dooney & Bourke Fêtes Its 40th Anniversary with a Reinvented Classic". Harper's BAZAAR. Retrieved August 26, 2022.
  3. Lynch, Matthew (July 13, 2009). "Bourke Found Guilty of Conspiracy" (PDF). Women's Wear Daily. p. 10. Retrieved August 26, 2022.
  4. Schmid, Albert (February 2, 2018). The Unlimited Sky. United States: Xlibris US. ISBN 9781543480290.
  5. "Spokesmodel Alert: Emma Roberts for Dooney & Bourke!". People Magazine. July 12, 2007. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
  6. Lee, Helen (March 4, 2008). "Hayden Panettiere's new campaign for Dooney & Bourke". Sassy Bella. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
  7. Covert, James (June 5, 2008). "Open & shut case: Louis Vuitton rival wins big in bag battle". The New York Post. Archived from the original on June 5, 2011. Retrieved February 8, 2010.
  8. Johnson, Carrie (February 8, 2010). "U.S. sends a message by stepping up crackdown on foreign business bribes". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 8, 2010.
  9. "Pirate of Prague". Bloomberg L.P. Retrieved May 20, 2012.
  10. Glovin, David (July 11, 2009). "Executive guilty of conspiracy in foreign bribery case". Bloomberg News. Retrieved February 8, 2010.
  11. Vardi, Nathan (November 10, 2009). "Founder of Dooney & Bourke gets jail term of one year". Forbes. Retrieved February 8, 2010.
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