Tom Ford. Courtesy of Tom Ford.
This story originally appeared in Vogue Arabia’s May issue.
A sense of mystery sparkles behind Tom Ford’s dark, squinting eyes. He smiles as though he is in on the world’s greatest secret. Maybe he is. A force within fashion, beauty, and film, whatever Ford puts his mind to turns to gold. At 2m tall, with faultless posture and a slender, elegant physique, it comes as no surprise that he is a former model. Rarely seen not suited and booted, he has created not just a brand, but a Tom Ford lifestyle.
After growing up in Austin, Texas, Ford studied the history of art at New York University. After a year, he left for California to pursue acting and, after saving up enough money, he enrolled to study architecture at Parsons School of Design. Being indecisive, he switched to fashion. It was a move he would not regret.
His first position after graduating was as a fashion assistant to designer Cathy Hardwick. The next, design director at Perry Ellis. Then came Gucci. Ford moved to Italy to work with ready-to-wear designer Dawn Mello in 1990, being promoted to creative director in 1994. Within a year, editors were begging for an invite to his show. With seductive silhouettes and power suits, he redefined the Gucci woman – so much so that, within five years, the brand was worth more than US $4 billion, with sales increasing by 90%. In 1999, Ford was named creative and communications director of Yves Saint Laurent as well when Gucci acquired the Parisian brand, under his instruction. Moving between Milan and Paris, the pace was rapid. “I am extremely hands-on,” explains Ford of his work as a designer. “I always spend a good deal of time on production and development because it is a personal passion. It is truly something that I love doing.”
Tom Ford on the set of A Single Man (2009). Courtesy of Tom Ford.
After he left the Gucci group in 2004, the cogs began turning for an eponymous label. Tom Ford launched with eyewear and fragrance. “I was lucky to have a name and a reputation that was strong enough to support both of these categories before I had created a clothing collection,” he says. “This was a decision that made my company profitable from the first day.”
Fashion followed in 2006. “I was creating a brand with my own name on it, and I took a lot of time to think about who my customer was,” he explains. “I thought about things that I constantly love, choose, or am obsessed by.” His starting point was menswear. Suits, accessories, and shoes garnered Ford so much success that within a year a two-story flagship store opened on Madison Avenue in New York. “I was my own muse. I am a model sample size and fit all of the men’s clothes on myself,” he says.
Womenswear launched in 2010. He opted to keep his debut collection out of the public eye and instead showcased it to an intimate crowd. Two months later, the clothes were revealed in an exclusive feature in Vogue US. “When creating the women’s collection, I constantly have in my mind all of the women in my life who are inspirational,” he says. This includes Beyoncé, Julianne Moore, and Daphne Guinness, who have all graced his shows.
Ford decided to take a break from fashion in 2005, and established a film company called Fade to Black. Moore featured in Ford’s directorial debut, A Single Man, for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe award. “Directing is something I always wanted to do,” he says. The film also led to an Academy Award nomination for lead Colin Firth. His next film was the thriller Nocturnal Animals (2016). Visually stunning, it also garnered a slew of nominations, with Aaron Taylor-Johnson taking home the Golden Globe for best-supporting actor. “It is a 360-degree world of beauty,” explains Ford. “Everything from the set design, the production design, the music, and the actors, are pure artistic expression through the eyes of the director.”
Tom Ford Fabulous from the Private Blend Collection. Courtesy of Tom Ford.
The world of beauty is yet another creative outlet for Ford. “In beauty, I’m not a minimalist. But I do love a certain luxe, streamlined simplicity to things.” His latest fragrance, Fabulous, first landed on the desks of those invited to his SS18 show. While part of the Tom Ford Private Blend collection, which includes more than 30 scents, its uncensored title raised eyebrows and created a stir across social media. It’s now available throughout the region. “When I smelled the final submission for Fabulous, I actually said ‘fabulous’ out loud, and that became the name,” Ford says. “I think it definitely delivers on that promise. This scent has an oriental leather accord that brings a decadent richness, and Tonka bean and amber for warmth. It is a very confident scent.” The Private Blend fragrances, which were launched in 2007, were initially only available at Tom Ford stores but customers loved them so much that they are now distributed more broadly, yet still in a limited way. “They were originally created for fragrance connoisseurs, and today they are outperforming our more commercial scents,” Ford says.
Having harbored a passion for fragrance since he was a child, the designer now collaborates with the best in the business. “I feel honored to work with them. I take every opportunity to learn what I can in terms of quality of ingredients, or inspiration to make people dream.” The world of beauty has changed and the definition of luxury has evolved, he feels. “For most people, true luxury comes from having beauty products that are chic and stylish but also deliver a genuine benefit and are sourced with true authority and expertise.”
The key to his unwavering success is ultimately understanding what women want. “My customer is a sophisticated woman, naturally elegant, and highly desired. It’s a distillation of sensuality, but also of spontaneity and untouchable glamour.” To echo The Pointer Sisters song played at the SS18 Tom Ford show, “I’m so excited!”
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