Billionaire businessman Michael Rubin hosted a 4th of July all-white party in the Hamptons on Tuesday, hosting the likes of Kim Kardashian, Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lopez.
A whole throng of A-list celebrities were in attendance, including models Kendall Jenner and Winnie Harlow, and sport stars Tom Brady and Kylian Mbappé.
Justin and Hailey Bieber, Emily Ratajkowski, Ben Affleck, Travis Scott, Dixie D’Amelio, Jack Harlow and Kelly Rowland were also seen at the party.
But among these big names, one may not be familiar. Who is Michael Rubin, the party’s host?
Who is Michael Rubin?
Michael Rubin, 50, is the billionaire owner of Fanatics, a sportswear retailer. According to Forbes, he has a net worth of $11 billion (£8.6 billion).
An entrepreneur from a young age, Mr Rubin began selling seeds door to door at age eight, before founding a ski shop at the age of 12, according to his profile on Fanatics. He found himself in debt at the age of 16, but was bailed out by his father on condition he attend college. As a result he attended Villanova University in Pennsylvania but only for one semester as he dropped out to pursue business ventures.
An active social media user, Mr Rubin has more than 600,000 Instagram followers and 40,000 TIkTok followers.
Business ventures
In 1991, his athletic equipment company turned over $1 million in sales, when he was 21. Four years later, the company had turned over $50 million.
In 1998, Mr Rubin founded GSI Commerce and sold it to eBay in 2011 for $2.4 billion. He also gained ownership of three eBay assets, Fanatics, Rue La La and ShopRunner as part of the deal.
Forbes reported that Rue La La acquired rival Gilt Groupe in 2018 and that Rubin sold ShopRunner to FedEx in 2020.
He was previously a part owner of the Philadelphia 76ers basketball team and the New Jersey Devils ice hockey team.
Advocacy
The US businessman is also the co-chair of Reform Alliance, a non-profit organisation that seeks to reform probation and parole.
According to Reform, he became an advocate for criminal justice reform after becoming friends with rapper Meek Mill, 36, whose conviction in a drugs and gun case was overturned.
The billionaire also founded a digital fundraiser, the ALL IN Challenge, which enlisted the help of celebrities to raise $60 million to feed people in need during the pandemic.
Celebrities who contributed to the fund included Robert De Niro, Ellen DeGeneres and Ariana Grande.
Personal life
He has a daughter named Kylie with ex-wife Meegan Rubin. He also has two young daughters, Romi and Gema, with model Camille Fishel.
He lives in Bryn Mawr and, according to the New York Times, bought a New York City penthouse for $43 million in 2018.
