Today, Tom Ford is placed alongside some of the largest brands in the industry. Although the company is only 10 years old, the brand competes with the likes of Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior and Giorgio Armani. So what is the background of this iconic symbol? How has it reached such levels of popularity and success in such a short period of time? Here is a short description on the history of the firm.
Introducing Tom Ford
Tom Ford, born 1961 in Austin, Texas, was brought into a family of realtors. His family lived close to the Houston border, where Ford spent most of his childhood. When he turned 11, the Ford family moved to New Mexico. After his time at Santa Fe, his education was slightly unstable.
Tom completed his high school graduation in 1979, but failed to complete his course at Bard’s College. He later decided to live in NYC, where he took up an art history course at NYU. Unfortunately, he dropped out after the first year. He dropped out of college to participate in television commercials.
The highlife
Ford had a fairly successful career in the advertising business. There was a time when he was featured in about 12 different advertising campaigns at the same time, all of which were aired on national television.
He decided to take up a course in interior architecture, and studied at the Parson’s New School for Design. Ford spent a fair amount of time at New York’s happening nightclub, Studio 54, and came to realize he was attracted to men. This was the birth of his love for design and fashion.
Ford moved to France, and found that his skills in the industry were quite appreciated. Though he graduated as an architecture student, he rarely revealed it. He was more proud of the fashion interest he had.
The birth of the brand
Tom Ford took up a job at Gucci, which was in a tight spot during that time, as their designer for women’s wear. Through the years, his prowess continued to show, and he started designing men’s clothes too. Gucci became a $10 billion company, until it was bought by Yves Saint Laurent.
Even after the acquisition, Ford was promoted to creative director of the group. It was only in mid-2004 that Ford had a falling out with the CEO over artistic control. He decided to set up his own firm dealing in designer eyewear and clothes, named after himself, and has never looked back since.
