Tom Ford Biography

Vita

• Early years

  Drops out of college in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, and New York. Moves to Los Angeles to work as a model.

• 1986

  Back in New York, Ford graduated from Parsons School of Design in New York with a degree in environmental design. His internship abroad during his studies includes a stint at Chloé in Paris.

  

• In the following years, he worked as a designer or design assistant at the fashion houses Perry Ellis and Cathy Hardwick.

• 1990

  Ford moves to Milan to design womenswear at Gucci. In 1992, he is promoted to chief designer.

  

• 1995

  Ford is honored with the International Award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America.

  

• 1996

  He receives the International Designer of the Year Award from the Fashion Editors Club Japan.

• 1994–2004

  Ford was creative director at Gucci. Here he is largely responsible for the image change in favor of more sex appeal. He was able to increase the company's annual sales from USD 230 million to USD 3 billion, after introducing comprehensive restructuring measures together with Domenico de Sole. He is responsible not only for all product lines, but also for the corporate image, marketing campaigns and store design. After Gucci's IPO in 1995, Ford is temporarily considered the largest shareholder among private individuals.

  

• 2000

  In addition to his work at Gucci, Ford takes on the role of women's prêt-à-porter designer at YSL, serving as creative director for fashion and beauty.

• 2002

  Ford becomes vice chairman of the Gucci Group board of directors.

• 2001

  After Gucci's takeover by the PPR Group, no agreement is reached and Ford leaves the company in 2004.

• 2004

  As a result of his departure from Gucci, he founded his own company Tom Ford with Domenico de Sole, offering men's fashion, eyewear and cosmetics (under Esteé Lauder license).

• 2007

  He opens the first flagship store in New York.

• 2009

  Tom Ford begins a Hollywood career as a filmmaker with his production company Fade to Black. His debut "A Single Man," starring Colin Firth and Juliane Moore, earns him his first Oscar nomination (best lead role). In 2016, "Nocturnal Animals" follows, the second film for which Ford received a nomination for a Golden Globe.

  

• 2010

  The designer presented his first womenswear collection at London Fashion Week.

• Ford has been in a relationship with Richard Buckley since 1986, and in 2012 a surrogate mother gave birth to their son. The couple married in 2014 before Buckley died in 2021 as a result of cancer.

• 2020

  Ford becomes chairman of the Professional Association of American Fashion Designers.