Why He's No. 20

Ford seamlessly transitioned from fashion to journalism in 2006 as the guest editor and creative director for the Hollywood edition of Vanity Fair. The magazine, which featured a nude Keira Knightley and Scarlett Johansson on the cover, drew criticism from many in the industry who took issue with the publication's distinct lack of unclothed men.

Back Stage

Ford was born in Austin, Texas and grew up in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he graduated from Santa Fe Preparatory School in 1979. After graduating from the Parsons School of Design in 1986, initially having studied architecture, he took design jobs with Cathy Hardwick and Perry Ellis. Noted for his interest in modern architecture, Ford has commissioned houses from the Spanish architect Alberto Campo Baeza, the Japanese architect Tadao Ando and the award winning Los Angeles firm of Marmol-Radziner and Associates. In 1990, Ford was hired by Gucci's then creative director Dawn Mello as chief women's ready-to-wear designer, and later appointed design director. When, in 1994, Gucci was acquired by a Bahrain-based investment firm called Investcorp, Ford was promoted to creative director and moved to Milan with his partner, journalist Richard Buckley. In his first year at the helm, he was credited with putting the glamour back into fashion introducing Halston-style velvet hipsters, skinny satin shirts and car-finish metallic patent boots.



In 1995, he brought in French stylist Carine Roitfeld and photographer Mario Testino to create a series of new, modern ad campaigns for the company. By 1999, the house, which had been almost bankrupt when Ford joined, was valued at about $4.3 billion. When Gucci acquired the house of Yves Saint-Laurent, Ford was named the creative director of that label as well. During his time as Creative Director for YSL, Ford won numerous Council of Fashion Designers of America Awards. Like his work at Gucci, Ford was able to catapult the archaic fashion house back into the mainstream. Having made no secret of the fact that he didn't expect to be designing forever, Ford was rumoured to be making a beeline for Hollywood when his Gucci reign came to an end.



Following his departure from Gucci (and YSL), Ford opened the fashion house, Tom Ford. Beginning with accessories, Ford laid the groundwork for his swiftly-growing fashion empire. While all facets of his label have been received incredibly well, his line of eyewear were the first of his collection to really take-off, with virtually every celebrity from Brad Pitt, Lindsay Lohan, and Madonna to Joaquin Phoenix, Jennifer Aniston and Sally Field being huge fans of his eyewear collections. His eyewear is also favoured by international celebrities like Bollywood stars Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan, the Turkish fashionista Ipek Terzioglu and Stephen Chow the Hong Kong action star. On multiple occasions, George Clooney has stated his fondness for Ford's menswear designs. While the Council of Fashion Designers of America has yet to recognize Ford's new fashion house, the likes of a nomination will be possible when the Tom Ford label broadens its designs to cover womenswear, a direction Ford has already mapped out. Ford's first 'Tom Ford' flagship store opened on April 12, 2007 at 845 Madison Avenue in New York City.



The store carries his new, high level luxury menswear, including suits, ties, shirts, knitwear, outerwear, accessories, luggage and small leather goods. The clothing is exclusive to the Madison store and additional Tom Ford stores are planned to open in London, Milan, Tokyo and Los Angeles by the start of 2008. Launched in Fall 2006, Tom Ford Beauty is a luxury brand of fragrances that is comprised of: Tom Ford Black Orchid, Private Blend, a twelve-piece unisex fragrance collection, and a new men's scent, Tom Ford for Men. Each scent was designed and developed by the designer himself. In May 2005, Ford was awarded the André Leon Talley Lifetime Achievement Award from the Savannah College of Art and Design. In 2002, received the Council of Fashion Designers of America Accessory Designer of the Year Award for Yves Saint-Laurent. In 2001, Ford received the Council of Fashion Designers of America Womenswear Designer of the Year Award. In 2000, Ford was named Best International Designer at the first VH1/Vogue Awards in New York. In 1995, Ford received the Council of Fashion Designers of America International Award.

Forcaste

You generally don't expect good ol' boys from Texas to be arbiters of style, but that's precisely what Tom Ford has become. The Austin-born fashion designer almost single-handedly turned Gucci into a $4-billion brand before becoming the creative director of Yves Saint-Laurent Rive Gauche. "For me, fashion doesn't stop at clothes," he says. "Fashion is everything: Art, music, furniture design, graphic design, hair, makeup, architecture, the way cars look -- all those things go together to make a moment in time, and that's what excites me."

In recognition of his design efforts, his success with Gucci and his overall power within the fashion industry, Ford was awarded the Andr? Leon Talley Lifetime Achievement Award from the Savannah College of Art and Design in May 2005.