Susan Dell: Beyond Fashion

Ladies, if your husband was worth billions of dollars, what would you occupy your time with? There are some women who would dwell in the luxuries of life as a billionaire; daily shopping, spa days, and a whirlwind of vacations would be in order. Others may dedicate their time to helping to run this billion-dollar empire. A few decide to dedicate their life to becoming a homemaker and raising their billionaire family with a careful eye. But there are a select few women who decide to create a name for themselves and develop their own business. If you are this type of woman, you have a lot in common with Susan Dell. The wife of Michael Dell, the computer company creator.

Susan created Phi (pronounced “fee”), a clothing line, in October 2003. This was a women’s clothing line, boasting similarities to popular fashion houses like Donna Karan. Other than ready-to-wear women’s fashions, Phi also had a collection of handbags and shoes. The label was headed by Creative Director, Andreas Melbostad. Guy Laroche, Yves Saint Laurent, and Donna Karan are few of the creative designers previous employers of Melbostad, just to name a few. Celebrities from all around, such as actress, model, and singer Bijou Phillips, Actress Emmy Rossum, and the  Host of Bravo’s Top Chef Padma Lakshmi all loved the label. This label had all the ingredients to be a hit, but unfortunately it was shut down in 2009 due to economic hardship.

Don’t feel too bad—this lady serves a greater purpose. No longer focusing on fashion, Mrs. Dell has turned to her first love: philanthropy. Along with her husband in 1999, Susan co-founded the Michael and Susan Dell foundation in Austin, Texas. Susan tells Forbes Magazine, “Our giving was more about what felt important at the time or when people made requests. That’s when we decided our giving was bigger than the two of us.” Philanthropy is among Susan’s joys on life. “I don’t look at it as an obligation,” states the billionaire. “We surely don’t need to have more money than necessary to take care of our family, so why wouldn’t we give?”

The mission statement of the Michael and Susan Dell foundation is, “Transforming the lives of children living in urban poverty through better health and education.” Susan states, “There’s a lot of need out there. So we have to stay disciplined and focused on our mission and our goals.” Both Michael and Susan share a passion for children. According to the website, with the foundation, the Dells focus on, “improv[ing] the lives of children living in urban poverty.” The couple has promised $700 million dollars to the foundation. The cause give out grants to programs that coincide with their mission of assisting chideren living in urban poverty all over the America and try to create careers that do the same. For more information, please visit: http://www.msdf.org/

-Shantice Edwards