TOM FORD

TOM FORD

About The Brand

  • Founded: 2005 · New York, USA
  • Founder: Tom Ford, Domenico De Sole
  • Headquarters: New York, USA · United States
  • Revenue: €317.1M (FY 2025 (Fashion only, Zegna-reported))

TOM FORD's Brand History

TOM FORD is an American luxury fashion house founded in 2005 by designer Tom Ford and business executive Domenico De Sole, the former Gucci Group president. The brand launched after the two left Gucci Group in 2004, and it carried forward the sensual, high-shine aesthetic Ford had defined across a decade at Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent.

The brand built itself in deliberate stages. Beauty came first: a cosmetics line with Estée Lauder in 2005, then the Black Orchid fragrance in 2006, a dark floral built around black truffle, ylang-ylang, and orchid that helped define the modern oriental-gourmand luxury fragrance era. The first directly operated store opened on Madison Avenue in 2007 alongside the debut menswear collection, with the Private Blend fragrance line launching the same year. Womenswear followed in 2010.

Tom Ford led the house as designer and CEO from its 2005 founding until 2023, when The Estée Lauder Companies acquired the brand for a $2.8 billion enterprise value and took ownership of all its intellectual property. Ford stepped down at the closing and remained a creative consultant through the end of that year. Peter Hawkings, a 25-year Ford collaborator, served as Creative Director from 2023 to 2024.

Haider Ackermann was appointed Creative Director in 2024, overseeing menswear, womenswear, accessories, eyewear, and the overall brand vision. The Colombian-born French designer staged his debut, Fall/Winter 2025, on Place Vendôme in 2025, the first TOM FORD show ever held in Paris and the brand's most significant repositioning since its founding.

The house is known for sharp, body-skimming tailoring built in the Savile Row tradition, the peaked-lapel O'Connor and Windsor dinner suits worn by Daniel Craig as James Bond, velvet evening jackets, oversized sunglasses with a metal T temple insert, and the black orchid motif that runs through its fragrance and eveningwear. Store interiors trade in Macassar ebony, polished chrome, and a monochrome palette drawn from 1970s glamour.

The brand operates under an uncommon split structure: Estée Lauder owns the brand and runs TOM FORD BEAUTY, the Ermenegildo Zegna Group operates TOM FORD FASHION under a 20-year license, and Marcolin holds the eyewear license. TOM FORD FASHION reported revenue of €317.1 million for 2025 and operated 68 directly run stores by early 2026.

Creative Directors

  • Tom Ford (2005–2023)
  • Peter Hawkings (2023–2024)
  • Haider Ackermann (2024–present)

Milestones

  • 2005 TOM FORD founded in New York — Tom Ford and Domenico De Sole start the house after leaving Gucci Group; eyewear and beauty partnerships are signed at launch.
  • 2006 Black Orchid launches — Black Orchid, the first TOM FORD fragrance, debuts at Saks Fifth Avenue, anchoring the brand's beauty business with Estée Lauder.
  • 2007 First store and menswear debut — The first store opens on Madison Avenue alongside the debut menswear collection; the Private Blend fragrance line launches the same year.
  • 2008 James Bond tailoring begins — Daniel Craig wears TOM FORD as James Bond in Quantum of Solace, beginning the most consequential film-tailoring partnership in modern luxury.
  • 2009 A Single Man premieres — Tom Ford's directorial debut A Single Man premieres at Venice; Colin Firth's TOM FORD wardrobe earns an Oscar nomination.
  • 2010 Womenswear debut — Womenswear debuts at the Madison Avenue store, modeled by Beyoncé, Julianne Moore, Lauren Hutton, and Daphne Guinness.
  • 2013 Jay-Z releases "Tom Ford" — Jay-Z releases the single Tom Ford, a Billboard hit that became the decade's most consequential luxury name-drop.
  • 2014 Lifetime Achievement and Lips & Boys — Tom Ford receives the CFDA Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award; the Lips & Boys lipstick collection sells out within hours.
  • 2019 Tom Ford named CFDA Chairman — Tom Ford is named Chairman of the CFDA, a role he held until 2022, doubling the organization's scholarship fund.
  • 2022 Estée Lauder acquisition announced — The Estée Lauder Companies acquire TOM FORD for a $2.8 billion enterprise value, outbidding Kering for the brand.
  • 2024 Haider Ackermann appointed — Haider Ackermann is appointed Creative Director, succeeding Peter Hawkings after his two seasons at the house.
  • 2025 First Paris show — Ackermann debuts Fall/Winter 2025 on Place Vendôme, the first TOM FORD runway show ever staged in Paris.

Signature Pieces

  • Black Orchid (2006) by Tom Ford — A dark floral built on black truffle, ylang-ylang, and orchid in a ribbed black-glass bottle. The first TOM FORD fragrance, it entered the Fragrance Foundation Hall of Fame in 2023.
  • Tobacco Vanille (2007) by Tom Ford — A tobacco-and-vanilla composition with cacao and tonka bean, among the original twelve Private Blend launches. Often called the benchmark modern oriental gourmand and one of the century's most imitated scents.
  • O'Connor Suit (2007) by Tom Ford — A single-breasted, peaked-lapel slim suit cut close in the Savile Row tradition. It became the brand's defining tailoring after Daniel Craig wore it as James Bond in Skyfall and Spectre.
  • Whitney Sunglasses (2008) by Tom Ford — An oversized 1970s butterfly sunglass with a metal T temple insert and infinity-cross bridge. Worn by Madonna, Charlize Theron, and Kate Moss, it was reissued in the 2023 Eyewear Archive Collection.
  • Lips & Boys (2014) by Tom Ford — A limited run of fifty clutch-sized lipsticks, each named after a man in Ford's life. Released as a 2014 Black Friday drop on the brand's site, it sold out within hours and reset luxury lipstick marketing.
  • Oud Wood (2007) by Tom Ford — An oud-centered unisex fragrance from the original Private Blend launch of 2007. It introduced oud to mainstream Western luxury perfumery and remains a cult bestseller two decades on.

Notable Collaborations

  • James Bond / EON Productions (2008) — Two decades dressing Daniel Craig's James Bond, from Quantum of Solace onward. Bespoke models like the O'Connor became ready-to-wear in the era's defining film-tailoring partnership.
  • Marcolin (2005) — A 21-year eyewear license producing the signature Whitney, Cary, and Snowdon frames. One of the most lucrative eyewear partnerships in luxury, it added an Archive Collection in 2023.
  • Ermenegildo Zegna (2023) — The license operating all TOM FORD fashion under a 20-year agreement from 2023. It began as a late-2000s menswear manufacturing tie before expanding to the full business.
  • Colin Firth / A Single Man (2009) — Wardrobe for Tom Ford's directorial debut A Single Man, defining the film's visual codes. Colin Firth's Oscar-nominated turn tied the brand to arthouse cinema.

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