Tom Ford

Thomas Carlyle Ford (born August 27, 1961) is an American fashion designer and filmmaker.

Thomas Carlyle Ford was born on August 27, 1961, in Austin, Texas, the son of realtors Shirley Burton (née Shirley Ann Thrasher) and Thomas David Ford (1932–2020).

He spent his early life in the suburbs of Houston, Texas, and in San Marcos, outside Austin.

He rearranged furniture in the house at 6, and gave his mother advice on her hair and shoes.

His family moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, when he was 11.

In Santa Fe, he entered St. Michael's High School and later moved to Santa Fe Preparatory School, from which he graduated in 1979.

At age 16, he enrolled at Bard College at Simon's Rock, but quickly dropped out.

He moved to New York City to study art history at New York University.

There he met Ian Falconer, who took him to Studio 54 for the first time.

Ford dropped out after a year, focusing on acting in television commercials.

Ford began studying interior architecture at The New School's art and design college, Parsons The New School for Design, in New York City.

He continued to frequent Studio 54, where he realized he was gay.

The club's disco-era glamor would be a major influence on his later designs.

Before his last year at New School, Ford spent a year and a half in Paris, where he worked as an intern in Chloé's press office, inspiring his interest in fashion.

He spent his final year at The New School studying fashion, but graduated with a degree in architecture.

When interviewing for jobs after graduation, Ford said that he had attended The New School's Parsons division, but concealed that he graduated in architecture, and that his work at Chloé was a low-level public relations position.

Despite his lack of experience in fashion, Ford called American designer Cathy Hardwick every day for a month in hopes of securing a job at her sportswear company.

Hardwick eventually agreed to interview him.

She later recalled the incident: "I had every intention of giving him no hope. I asked him who his favorite European designers were. He said, 'Armani and Chanel.' Months later I asked him why he said that, and he said, 'Because you were wearing something Armani.' Is it any wonder he got the job?"

Ford worked as a design assistant for Hardwick for two years.

In 1988, Ford moved to Perry Ellis, where he knew both Robert McDonald, the company's president, and Marc Jacobs, its designer, socially.

He worked at the company for two years, but grew tired of working in American fashion.

In a later interview with The New York Times, he commented, "If I was ever going to become a good designer, I had to leave America. My own culture was inhibiting me. Too much style in America is tacky. It's looked down upon to be too stylish. Europeans, however, appreciate style."

At the time, Italian fashion house Gucci was struggling financially and was seeking to strengthen its women's ready-to-wear presence as a part of a brand overhaul.

The company's creative director, Dawn Mello said, "no one would dream of wearing Gucci".

In 1990, Mello hired Ford as the brand's chief women's ready-to-wear designer and Ford moved to Milan.

"I was talking to a lot of people, and most didn't want the job," Mello said.

"For an American designer to move to Italy to join a company that was far from being a brand would have been pretty risky."

Ford and his longtime partner, fashion journalist Richard Buckley, relocated to Milan that September.

Ford's role at Gucci rapidly expanded; he was designing menswear within six months, and shoes soon after that.

When Richard Lambertson left as design director in 1992, Ford took over his position, heading the brand's ready-to-wear, fragrances, image, advertising, and store design.

In 1993, when he was in charge of designing eleven product lines, Ford worked eighteen-hour days.

During these years, there were creative tensions between Ford and Maurizio Gucci, the company's chairman and 50% owner.

According to Mello, "Maurizio always wanted everything to be round and brown, and Tom wanted to make it square and black."

He launched his eponymous luxury brand in 2005, having previously served as the creative director at Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent.

Ford wrote and directed the films A Single Man (2009) and Nocturnal Animals (2016).

From 2019 to 2022 he served as Chairman of the Council of Fashion Designers of America.

Born in Texas, Ford grew up in Houston and San Marcos.

He later enrolled at Bard College at Simon's Rock before leaving prior to graduation.

He later graduated from the New School with a degree in architecture.