Touker Suleyman

Touker Suleyman (born Türker Süleyman; 4 August 1953) is a British-Turkish Cypriot fashion retail entrepreneur, investor, and reality television personality. In 2001, his company Low Profile Group purchased UK shirt maker Hawes & Curtis, and in 2002 he purchased UK fashion label Ghost. Since then, he has invested in a number of start-up companies including Bikesoup and Huxley & Cox. Since 2015 he has been a dragon on Dragons' Den.

In 2015, The Sunday Times listed Suleyman as 637th in its Rich List, estimating his fortune to be in excess of £200 million.

Early life Suleyman was born in Famagusta on 4 August 1953, into a Turkish Cypriot family. In 1958, he moved to England with his family and settled in Bermondsey, South London. He arrived not speaking English and attended Peckham Manor secondary school. At age 10, he suffered a serious hand infection that resulted in him missing a year of school and at risk of an amputation of his left hand. He credits his father for being his inspiration to start his own business.

Career After leaving school, Suleyman joined a chartered accountancy firm in Southampton Row, London, heeding his father's wishes that he enter a secure profession. He worked as an articled clerk earning £5.50 a week. Speaking of his experience there, he stated: "I did the accounts for small clients like dentists and doctors, other accountants and small businesses. In a way it was educational, but quite boring. I saw that there were three ways to make money. You were either a pop star, in the fashion business, or in property."

In the early 1980s, after being advised by a stockbroker, Suleyman took a 29.9% stake in clothing business Mellins. He was later persuaded by Laing & Cruickshank that Mellins should buy a stake in retailer Bamber Stores "because it offered synergy—we make it and we sell it."

In November 2024 he was awarded the Drapers lifetime achievement award for his 50 year career in Fashion.

Low Profile Group In 1984, Suleyman acquired a small cash-and-carry business which subsequently became Low Profile Group, a clothing manufacturer supplying retail stores including Marks & Spencer. The company's factories are based in Turkey, Bulgaria and Georgia.

Hawes & Curtis In 2001, Low Profile Group acquired Hawes & Curtis for £1.

Ghost In 2008, Suleyman purchased fashion label Ghost after its owner, KCAJ, an Icelandic investment fund, cut investment following the collapse of the Icelandic banking market. The acquisition safeguarded 142 jobs across the company.

Other investments Alongside Ghost, Touker Suleyman has invested in Docks Rio, a casual boat shoe brand; Intelligent Futures, an online advertising start-up; Personify XP, an AI personalisation start-up; Huxley & Cox, a manufacturer of luxury handbags; and Bikesoup, an online marketplace for bicycles in which he invested £100,000 for an undisclosed stake. His current stake in the business is 46%.

Dragons' Den

In 2015, Suleyman joined the investors' panel on the thirteenth series of BBC television programme Dragons' Den, alongside Nick Jenkins and Sarah Willingham.

Personal life Suleyman was formerly married to an (unnamed) Danish woman; they have two daughters together. He lives in London, and is a non-practicing Muslim.