Tom Ford

Today, I do not want to create the look, he says, but to make clothes that are beautiful and glamorous. That is how he launched his own brand, which he himself describes as porno chic.

Tom Ford's revelation

Tom Ford was born in 1961 in Austin, Texas. He spent his childhood in Santa Fe before taking art history classes at New York University. He then pursued studies in architecture at the Parsons School of Design in New York and then in Paris. It was during this course of study that Tom Ford's calling was born. He was on a class trip to Moscow during his architecture studies when a revelation came to him at two o'clock in the morning: he had to work in the world of fashion. So, as soon as he got home, he began putting together his portfolio. He joined the Gucci team in 1990. Very quickly, his talent was noticed and he became creative director in 1992 before becoming artistic director of the Italian house in 1994. During those years, it was to him that the overall image of Gucci was owed. Likewise, it was also Tom Ford who was behind the house's rather provocative advertising campaigns. Later, following the acquisition of Yves Saint-Laurent by Gucci Group, he also became creative director for the Yves Saint-Laurent Beauté and Yves Saint-Laurent Rive Gauche lines. Nevertheless, Tom Ford felt the urge to move on and left his position in 2004. A year later, in April 2005, he launched his own eponymous brand.

Tom Ford and his own house

From the very start of his brand, Tom Ford decided to move into the world of beauty. He developed cosmetic products followed by an eyewear collection in 2006. His first store opened in April 2007, on Madison Avenue in New York, while Tom Ford simultaneously launched his men's ready-to-wear and accessories collections. It was then that the first fragrances came into being. These were Black Orchid, Grey Vetiver and the Private Blend collection. Although very different from so-called mass-market fragrances, these immediately met with immense success. From then on, projects followed one after another for Tom Ford. He launched a women's ready-to-wear collection. In 2011, he developed a complete range of cosmetics. Likewise, Tom Ford even made his first film, titled A Single Man, an adaptation of the novel by Christopher Isherwood produced by his own company, Fade to Black. Tom Ford is a jack-of-all-trades in perpetual pursuit of innovation. His boldness and his talent have earned him numerous awards, such as the Designer of the Year Award 2010, the Vogue Fashion Awards, and the Elle Style Awards.