VINEYARD
VINES
TheMurraybrothers left
their corporate life inManhattan
to create a successful tie company—
now a national clothingbrand—
anchoredby a smiling, pinkwhale
The
Family
Business
ByELLISEPIERCE
s
hep and IanMurray, 44 and40 re-
spectively, thebrothersbehind the
clothing lineVineyardVines,areon
a speaker phone in the office they
shareat3:30p.m. onaFriday, their
last appointment of theday.When
theyfindout I’m fromDallas, they
tellme they opened a store in the
area twoyearsago, inPlano, atWil-
lowBendmall, and sales are even
better than they’d imagined. “We
didn’t knowwhat to expect,” says
Shep,who, likehisbrother, iswear-
ing apair of flat-front khakis anda
baby-blue-and-navy-plaidHarbor
shirt,water-resistant andmade forfishing,with their sig-
naturewhaleembroideredonthebackflap,“butweare just
crushing it.”
The cartoony, smilingpinkwhale is the country’snew-
est preppy icon.Withmore than600wholesale accounts,
from boutiques to large chains such asNordstrom’s and
Bloomingdales; anonline store; and51 brick-and-mortar
stores, VineyardVines is positioning itself tobe thenext
bigthingfor loversofpinkandgreen. Ifpreppycanbemod-
ernized, then theMurrayswant tobe theoneswho’llmake
ithappen–bydesigningbutton-downsforthosewho liketo
bea little lessbuttoned-up.
Theprivatecompany that’snownearly twodecadesold
–ShepandIanarebothco-foundersandCEOs –Vineyard
Vinesemploysmore than1,200employees in itsStamford,
Connecticut, headquarters and its stores. “We started this
business as something todoone summer, and it’s been a
17-year-longsummer,”saysIan, laughing.
Thebrothers started the companywith themotivation
togetoutofManhattanandaway from thecorporateenvi-
ronment theyboth found themselves inaftercollege. Shep
was 27 and Ianwas 23, and theywanted todo something
for themselves. Theydidn’twant to take the train into the
cityanymore, and theywanted tostayhome inGreenwich,
where they grewup.Where lifewas slower, easier.Where
theyhadmore fun.
Sothey–neitherwillsaywhohatchedtheplan–decided
CELEBRATED LIVING • SPRING 2015
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