Tom Ford
Founder of the Tom Ford brand; former creative director of Gucci
Tom Ford is an American designer and film director who led the revival of Gucci as creative director from 1994 to 2004 and founded his own luxury brand in 2005. He sold the Tom Ford brand to The Estée Lauder Companies in a deal completed in April 2023 and stepped back from design to focus on filmmaking.
| Role | Founder of Tom Ford; film director |
|---|---|
| Organisation | Tom Ford (owned by Estée Lauder since 2023) |
| Born | 1961, Austin, Texas |
| Gucci | Creative director 1994 to 2004 |
| Brand founded | 2005 |
| Sale | Completed 28 April 2023, 2.8 billion US dollars |
Who is Tom Ford?
Tom Ford, born in Austin, Texas in 1961, is a fashion designer, businessman and film director. He is best known for transforming Gucci in the 1990s and for building the Tom Ford luxury brand, which he sold in 2023. He is also the writer and director of the films A Single Man (2009) and Nocturnal Animals (2016).
Career
Ford was creative director of Gucci from 1994 to 2004 and, after the Gucci Group acquired Yves Saint Laurent, also creative director of YSL from 1999 to 2004. His collections at Gucci, with sharp tailoring and a sensual, glamorous image, are widely credited with turning around a brand in difficulty and helped define the modern luxury group model built on strong creative direction and marketing.
In 2005 he founded his own company, starting with menswear, beauty, eyewear and accessories and later adding womenswear. From 2019 to 2022 he was chairman of the Council of Fashion Designers of America.
- 1994 to 2004: creative director, Gucci
- 1999 to 2004: creative director, Yves Saint Laurent
- 2005: founds Tom Ford
- 2019 to 2022: chairman of the CFDA
- April 2023: sale to Estée Lauder completed; steps down as creative director
Influence on the fashion business
The sale of the Tom Ford brand is a notable example of a beauty led luxury business model. The Estée Lauder Companies completed its acquisition of the brand for 2.8 billion US dollars on 28 April 2023. As part of the transaction the Ermenegildo Zegna Group took over the fashion business through a long term licence, while beauty, the largest part of the business, remained with Estée Lauder.
Ford stepped down as creative director when the deal closed. Peter Hawkings briefly succeeded him, and Haider Ackermann was named creative director of the fashion line in 2024. Ford has since focused on film: principal photography on his third feature, an adaptation of Anne Rice's novel Cry to Heaven, was scheduled to begin in January 2026 in London and Rome.
Why it matters
Tom Ford's career covers two important lessons for the industry: how a creative director can reposition a heritage brand commercially, and how a founder brand can be structured so that beauty, licensing and fashion operations sit with different specialist owners. The Estée Lauder and Zegna arrangement is frequently referenced in discussions of brand ownership and licensing in luxury.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Tom Ford?
Tom Ford is an American designer and film director born in 1961. He led Gucci as creative director from 1994 to 2004 and founded his own luxury brand in 2005.
Who owns the Tom Ford brand?
The Estée Lauder Companies owns the Tom Ford brand after a 2.8 billion US dollar acquisition completed in April 2023. The fashion business is run by the Zegna Group under a long term licence.