Superdry co-founder James Holder found guilty of assault by UK court

A court in UK found James Holder, cofounder of fashion brand ‘Superdry’ guilty of rape on Friday, as per reports.

The incident reportedly happened after ‘a night of drinking’. However, he was of another assault charge of May 2022.

UK’s Gloucester Crown Court found Holder Guilty on May 1, in a case where the victim reportedly alleged the accused of getting in her taxi and entering her home uninvited after they had been at a bar in Cheltenham, England, as per reports.

Superdry is a UK-based apparel company known for combining elements of vintage Americana and Japanese-inspired graphics with British design influences. 

The company operates through 768 branded locations across 65 countries. This includes 245 owned stores across the UK and mainland Europe, 497 franchised and licensed stores, and 26 concessions, as per company website.

It was founded in 2003 by Julian Dunkerton, building on his earlier retail venture Cult Clothing established in 1985. The company expanded rapidly through standalone stores from 2004, entered wholesale operations, and was listed on the London Stock Exchange in March 2010.

It grew internationally through acquisitions in Europe between 2011–2014, opened flagship locations including a 22,000 sq ft store in London, and rebranded 20 Cult stores by 2012.

Further expansion included acquiring US distribution rights in March 2015 and entering a 10-year joint venture in China in July 2015. By 2018, Superdry products were available in 157 countries.