Christoph Botschen
Co-founder of the luxury retailer Mytheresa
Christoph Botschen co-founded the Munich luxury boutique Theresa in 1987 together with Susanne Botschen and in 2006 turned it into the online retailer Mytheresa. The platform became one of the world's leading luxury e-commerce businesses, listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2021 and now the flagship of the LuxExperience group.
| Role | Co-founder, Theresa and Mytheresa |
|---|---|
| Founded | Theresa boutique, Munich, 1987 |
| Online launch | Mytheresa.com, 2006 |
| Co-founder | Susanne Botschen |
| Later venture | MarthaLouisa.com (2018) |
Who is Christoph Botschen?
Christoph Botschen is a German fashion retailer and entrepreneur. Together with Susanne Botschen, he founded Theresa, a designer fashion boutique in central Munich, and later Mytheresa.com, which grew from a local store's web shop into one of the most important luxury e-commerce platforms in the world.
Career
The Botschens opened the Theresa boutique in Munich in 1987, specialising in designer fashion for women. Over two decades it became one of the city's best known luxury multibrand stores, with relationships to leading international fashion houses.
In 2006 they launched Mytheresa.com. The site offered ready-to-wear, shoes, accessories and fine jewellery from more than 250 designers and combined the curation of a physical boutique with international shipping. The early timing gave Mytheresa a strong position as luxury brands, long sceptical of online sales, began to accept e-commerce.
Mytheresa later became part of the US department store group Neiman Marcus, and the founders subsequently left the business. In March 2018 the Botschens returned to online retail with MarthaLouisa.com, a platform dedicated to luxury shoes from established houses and emerging designers. The venture announced in September 2018 that it would cease operations at the end of that year.
What happened to Mytheresa
The company the Botschens founded has continued to grow:
- May 2020: Mytheresa was separated from Neiman Marcus as part of that group's restructuring
- January 2021: its parent company listed on the New York Stock Exchange
- April 2025: Mytheresa completed the acquisition of YOOX Net-a-Porter from Richemont, and the parent was renamed LuxExperience
- January 2026: Francis Belin succeeded long-time chief executive Michael Kliger at Mytheresa, while Kliger continued as group chief executive of LuxExperience
Influence on the fashion business
The Botschens are among the pioneers who showed that a curated, boutique-style luxury offer could work online. Mytheresa's focus on high-spending customers, editorial content and close brand partnerships became a model that later set it apart from more discount-driven competitors. Its acquisition of YOOX Net-a-Porter in 2025 brought together several of the businesses that defined luxury e-commerce in its first two decades.
Why it matters
Few independent multibrand retailers have made the transition from a single city store to a global digital platform. The story of Christoph and Susanne Botschen illustrates how traditional luxury retail know-how, applied early to e-commerce, could create a business that now sits at the centre of the online luxury market.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Christoph Botschen?
Christoph Botschen is a German retailer who co-founded the Munich luxury boutique Theresa in 1987 with Susanne Botschen. In 2006 they launched Mytheresa.com, which became one of the leading global luxury e-commerce platforms.
Who founded Mytheresa?
Mytheresa was founded by Christoph and Susanne Botschen, who opened the Theresa boutique in Munich in 1987 and launched the online store in 2006. The company is now part of LuxExperience, which also owns YOOX Net-a-Porter.