Tom Ford’s departure in 2023 left many guessing who could inherit his legacy, but at the Fall/Winter 2025 show in Paris, he stood backstage to welcome Haider Ackermann’s debut. Ford’s visible support felt like a passing of the torch for a brand that has undergone a whirlwind of changes, including being acquired by Estée Lauder last year. Peter Hawkings, a longtime associate of Ford, briefly stepped in but was dismissed a year later. Enter Ackermann, who had wowed audiences with a Jean Paul Gaultier haute couture collaboration and was in search of the right house to call home.
Ackermann’s approach nods to Ford’s signature glamour, yet he layers his own touch into every look. The show opened with pieces cut from leather with a faintly futuristic edge. One standout was a sweatshirt worn high and snug, combined with a fluid skirt that skimmed the hips, hinting at both designers’ shared appreciation for fit and a certain allure.
Tailoring followed, channeling a sleek past-meets-future vibe with pinstripes, jacquards, and slender suiting. Colors ranged from vivid electric tones to softer pastels, reminiscent of Ford’s heyday but refined through Ackermann’s lens. Eveningwear took a spotlight, too—slashed dresses revealed flashes of skin, while fringe and embroidered patterns hinted at red-carpet potential.
Ackermann had teased the collection with a pared-down Instagram post featuring a nude self-portrait by Ethan James Green—a signal that the brand’s provocative spirit was alive and well.
That vibe carried through as the models slowed their pace, effectively putting each look under a spotlight. Tom Ford himself, who sold his namesake label to Estée Lauder in 2022 and bowed out the following year, seemed content watching this new evolution. In a final flourish, he stepped onstage to embrace Ackermann, closing the show on a note of passing the baton rather than reclaiming it. It was a declaration: the Ackermann era has arrived, and by all accounts, it’s just getting started.
