He initially built a business, International Clothing Designs, supplying Hong Kong-manufactured fashion to UK retailers.
[8] His prowess at golf, playing off scratch,[7] resulted in him representing Middlesex at county level, and being accepted into Millfield School in Street, Somerset on a 10-shilling-a-week sporting scholarship.
Caring left school aged 16 and joined a shopping centre development company as an office boy, before joining Louis Caring Originals, his father's dress manufacturing business that employed seven people:[7][1]My parents thought it important I got practical work experience – they weren't bothered about university.
Maybe that's why I'm driven, because I saw it all happen at a young age.In 1971 Caring first visited Hong Kong,[7] where labour and materials were far cheaper than in Britain.
Spending a year living out of a suitcase and resident in one hotel, Caring educated local manufacturers through producing the same garment over and over again to get the quality right.
[7] Forming International Clothing Designs (ICD) to exploit the new opportunity, Caring moved his family permanently to Hong Kong in 1979.
ICD was the dominant supplier to Arcadia Group, the then Green-owned fashion retail chain that included Dorothy Perkins, Topshop and Top Man.
[13][14] This was not the normal retailer and supplier set-up but described as more of a partnership,[7] with Caring presenting Green with a Ferrari F430 Spider for his 50th birthday:[1]I speak to him every day.
[11] In 2001, Caring invested in Green's British Home Stores (BHS), owning 22.5% of the retailer and earning £100m in dividends, before disposing of his shares in 2006.
[15] Caring supplied Next plc via a joint venture company NV, but sold his share in the 1990s back to the retailer.
[17] Caring bought Wentworth Golf Club in 2004, in partnership with then minority shareholder, airport hotel entrepreneur Surinder Arora; they paid £130m, £50m more than the club’s book value at the time:[7][11] He sold Wentworth in 2014 for £135m to Reignwood Investments,[18] a Chinese holding company associated with billionaire Yan Bin.
[20] In 2005 he added fish restaurant Scott’s and catering firm Urban Productions, but sold Pasha to Algerian restaurateur Tony Kitous.
[11] In 2006 he bought Rivington, a two-restaurant group independently set up by Caprice Holding’s chef director Mark Hix.
[26] In 2008 he agreed a leveraged buyout of 28 small investors in private members' club Soho House, taking 80% for £105m, with the remainder held by Nick Jones who remained CEO, also his partner in Cecconi’s.
[27] The speed with which Caring built his restaurant chain resulted in many questioning his reasoning, on both a strategic level as well as the high purchase prices paid.
This includes the hire of Annabel’s in 2008 for the Conservative Party's Black and White Ball in Battersea Park, which was as an auction prize that raised £70,000.
[7] In 2005, he organised a charity costume "Napoleonic Ball" for the NSPCC in St Petersburg's Catherine Palace, Russia, featuring a performance by Sir Elton John.
[20] Caring spent £8m flying in 450 guests by private jet,[10] including Bob Geldof and former US president Bill Clinton, raising £11m.
[6] They have two sons, who were raised in Hong Kong: Jamie, a vice-president of MTV Networks Europe;[33] and Ben, who works for Soho House.
[35] He left his wife to move into a £32 million home in St John's Wood with 35-year-old Brazilian Patricia Mondinni, with whom he had a son.
[1] Philip Green sent his private jet to pick the family up, and Caring donated £1 million to the tsunami relief fund:[7][1]My two sons nearly drowned with me.