Tom Ford

Tom Ford is an internationally acclaimed American fashion designer and film director. He started his career as a young architecture graduate who slowly, but steadily built his career from design assistant to creative director in the course of a single decade. He is best known for stepping in as the creative director of Gucci, in a time when the Italian fashion label was going through serious financial problems. Between 1994 and 2004, he carved a new place for Gucci in the fashion world and, by the end of his tenure, the fashion house had managed to regain its position in the mainstream market. With the reputation and experience amassed, Tom Ford launched his namesake label in 2005. This was also the year in which he signed two licensing deals for a line of fragrances and cosmetics and for a line of high-end eyewear. The Tom Ford label really started to take off in 2006, with the launch of its luxury menswear, accessories and footwear. Over the course of 3 short years, numerous flagship stores were opened in New York, Milan, London, Los Angeles and Hawaii.