All you need to know about Thomas Ford: Renowned Fashion Designer and Film Director

Publish date: 2024-03-31

Thomas Ford is a $2 billion-dollar-worth American fashion designer and film director. The majority of Tom’s net fortune was amassed in November 2022, when he sold his namesake fashion label to Estée Lauder for $2.8 billion. More information on this sale can be found in the section below. Tom Ford has served as the creative director of Gucci and YSL in addition to his own label.

Who is Tom Ford?

Thomas Ford, commonly known as Tom Ford, was born on August 27, 1961, in Austin, Texas. Shirley Burton (née Shirley Ann Thrasher) and Thomas David Ford, his parents, were both realtors. He spent his childhood in Texas, growing up in San Marcos, west of Austin, and in the Houston suburbs. His family then relocated to Santa Fe, New Mexico, when he was eleven years old.

In 1979, he graduated from Santa Fe Preparatory School. He subsequently relocated to New York City with the idea of studying art history at New York University but dropped out after only a year to pursue a career in acting, particularly in television commercials. Later, he enrolled at Parsons to study interior architecture.

He changed his major to fashion during his last year at Parsons after working as an intern at Chloé’s press office in Paris, but he still graduated with a degree in architecture. He met Ian Falconer, who introduced him to Studio 54 while residing in New York City. Ford continued to go to Studio 54, and it was there that he realized he was gay.

He booked an absurd number of television advertisements after dropping out of New York University to pursue an acting career. He once had twelve spots going at the same time. He then received a degree in architecture at Parsons, but during his final year, he discovered his passion for fashion and decided to pursue a career in that field following graduation. He went on to work for Cathy Hardwick and then Perry Ellis before joining Gucci in 1990 as the head of their women’s ready-to-wear line. Gucci was in bad shape at the time.

How old is Tom Ford?

He is currently 62 years old.

What is Tom Ford’s net worth?

The American fashion designer is estimated to be worth $2 Billion.

What is Tom Ford’s career?

Ford was tenacious when interviewing for fashion-related employment after college, despite not having graduated from a fashion program and having no experience working in the fashion business. His perseverance paid off, as he eventually secured a job as a design assistant for American designer Cathy Hardwick, w here he worked for two years. He subsequently moved to the Perry Ellis brand in 1988, where he worked for two years.

However, in search of a change of pace, he relocated to Europe to work. He was hired as Gucci’s principal women’s ready-to-wear designer and relocated to Milan to help the faltering fashion brand.

Ford’s career and reach developed significantly at Gucci. He was signing menswear within six months of being there, and he soon began developing shoes. Ford eventually took over as design director after Richard Lambertson departed the company in 1992.

He was in charge of everything from the brand’s ready-to-wear and fragrances to its image, advertising, and store design in this new job. Ford was responsible for designing eleven product lines in 1993 alone! He was promoted to the role of Creative Director at Gucci in 1994. Under his leadership, the brand expanded, with sales increasing by 90% between 1995 and 1996. Then, when Gucci acquired the fashion business Yves Saint Laurent (YSL) in 1999, Ford was named Creative Director of that label as well.

Ford eventually left the Gucci Group in 2004. He started his own namesake collection of menswear, beauty, eyewear, and accessories two years later. He has now grown his brand, dressing celebrities such as former American First Lady Michelle Obama, Beyoncé, Jennifer Lopez, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Anne Hathaway, as well as Daniel Craig, Tom Hanks, Johnny Depp, Ryan Gosling, Will Smith, Hugh Jackman, and Justin Timberlake, to mention a few.

After months of rumors and a secret bidding war, Tom Ford agreed to sell his brand to Estee Lauder for $2.8 billion in November 2022. After taxes, Tom Ford’s net worth climbed from $500 million to $2 billion at the conclusion of the transaction. It is Estee Lauder’s largest acquisition in history, with the corporation paying a combination of cash, deferred payments, and debt assumption. Prior to the transaction, Tom Ford made $1 billion in annual income from the sale of eyewear, clothing, makeup, fragrance, accessories, and other products.

In addition to his extensive career as a fashion designer, Ford has also worked as a film director on various projects. In March 2005, he founded his own film production firm, Fade to Black. His directing debut was with the film “A Single Man” in 2009. The film is based on Christopher Isherwood’s novel of the same name, and it stars Colin Firth, Julianne Moore, Nicholas Hoult, and Matthew Goode.

Ford was not only the director of the film, but he was also one of its producers. After its premiere at the 66th Venice International Film Festival, the film gained critical acclaim and was nominated for the festival’s highest award, the Golden Lion.

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