Biography
Tom Ford is a designer and director who gained worldwide fame during his years at the Gucci fashion house.
Tom Ford was born on August 27, 1961 in Austin, Texas, in the family of realtors Shirley Burton and Thomas David Ford. When the boy was about 11 years old, the family moved to Santa Fe, a city in the southern United States in the state of New Mexico.
Tom Ford in his youth
After graduating from high school in 1979, Tom was enrolled in Bard College in Simon's Rock, but soon enough the young man abandoned his studies and moved to New York to study art history at the prestigious New York University. After a year of study, Ford left the university, completely concentrating on participating in television advertising filming.
Ford soon enrolled in Calsons College of Design and the Arts (known as Parsons), from which fashion designers Marc Jacobs and Donna Karan, fashion designers Alexander Wang and Jason Wu, and musician Rob Zombie graduated.
Tom Ford with a friend near the Studio 54 club
In the city on the Hudson, Ford often visited the iconic nightclub Studio 54, famous for its legendary parties. According to the designer, it was then that he realized that he was gay. The avant-garde glamor and theatrical atmosphere of the famous club would later have a major influence on Ford's later projects.
Tom Ford spoke about his struggle with addiction and the fear of losing his son
On the sidelines of the fashion business, it is not customary to talk about your weaknesses and problems; the fear that you will become useless and unclaimed by anyone forces you to fight your vices in a very close circle. In the latest issue of Out magazine, Tom Ford gave a frank interview and admitted that he has serious problems with alcohol addiction and the only one who helps him keep himself under control is his son.
Based on the results of his fruitful work, Tom was awarded the title “Man of Art 2016”, which certainly pleases his pride, but forces him to reconsider his attitude towards his life and ways of achieving fame.
My son helped me overcome my alcohol addiction!
Successful, talented, whose performances and directorial ideas evoke admiration and envy, for a long time he could not cope with his “inner demons.” It would seem that he was able to realize everything he dreamed of. In an interview, he spoke about the secrets of his mental struggle and the realization of desires that are most difficult. Who supports him all this time and helps him create?
Tom Ford has never hidden the fact that he is an open homosexual. In September 2012, the designer became engaged to his chosen one, journalist Richard Buckley. The couple have been together for more than twenty years and the decision to raise their son together was deliberate and balanced for them. Four years ago, with the help of surrogacy, baby Alexander John Buckley Ford was born into the family.
According to Tom, the long-awaited birth of his son and happiness in marriage did not bring him peace of mind and lift him out of depression. The designer admitted that he had problems before and sought a solution in alcohol, but only at the age of 40 did he realize that he could not control the amount of alcohol and drugs he consumed. In an interview with the New York Post, Tom shared:
I always wanted children, but running after a career and eternal problems pushed my dream of a son to a later time. When Jack (as Alexander John is called in the family) appeared in our family, I was in serious condition and could not control myself. The worst thing is that I allowed myself to be near the child in such an inadequate state. It’s hard for me to realize that once I dropped it on the stairs, and another time I accidentally burned it with a cigarette.
Create and live for the future of your son!
Tom Ford does not hide the fact that he idealized parental responsibilities and did not understand all the responsibilities and difficulties. Only over time did he realize and voice to journalists that:
My son is the only person for whom I can sacrifice myself. After his appearance, I removed thoughts of self-destruction from my head. Fatherhood has been a difficult but important life lesson for me.
Of course, Tom Ford sought medical help, after completing a rehabilitation course, he burst into the world of fashion and cinema with renewed vigor. Having left the post of creative director of Gucci and opened his own brand, Tom Ford, in recent years he has been realizing himself in the film industry. The film A Single Man, released in 2008, showed him as a talented director, and his second film, Nocturnal Animals, will be released next month.
Fashion
Before his senior year of college, Ford spent 1.5 years in Paris, where he interned in the press service of the fashion house Chloé. Internship in the capital of France fueled Tom's interest in fashion, although he graduated from college with a degree in architecture.
Despite having little experience in the fashion world, after graduating from college, Tom began to seek the attention of American fashion designer Katie Hardwick in the hope of getting a job in her company. In the end, Hardwick called Ford for an interview, during which the young man made a good impression on the designer, and was later hired as a personal assistant.
Two years later, Ford moved to the company of designer Perry Ellis (where Marc Jacobs also worked), but pretty soon Tom became completely disillusioned with American fashion. In a recent interview, Ford admitted:
“To become a good designer, I had to leave America. The culture of my country slowed me down. Here, unlike in Europe, sophisticated style is not at a premium.”
A photograph appeared on the cover of the latest issue of the American gay magazine OUT: Tom Ford kissing his partner Richard Buckley. The couple lived together for more than 24 years, and in the magazine itself, which this time is dedicated to “love stories,” the men told how they met and spent all this time. Each one on his own behalf.
When Tom Ford met editor Richard Buckley, he was a shy 25-year-old. One ride together in the elevator was enough for him to understand: he wanted to marry this man.
Tom Ford, designer and film director:
Sometimes it happens that you look at a person and it seems to you that you have known him all your life. On the very first evening of our communication with Richard, when we drank a few glasses, I got the impression that I knew everything about him. He has the wildest eyes in the world - like an Eskimo from Alaska. They are not blue or gray, they are an amazing color that I have never seen before, almost silver. They don't emit anything, but in a strange way they completely hypnotize you. We first met at a fashion show in New York in 1986. He was then 38 and the editor of Women's Wear Daily. He was so confident and handsome that it made him virtually inaccessible. He looked at me so intently that I was completely confused, and as soon as the show was over, I ran out the door into the street, just so as not to run into him. Ten days later, my employer, Katie Hardwick, sent me to the Women's Wear Daily office to pick up some clothing samples. I was sent straight to the roof because a photo shoot was taking place there at that moment. I approached the elevator, the doors opened, and a man with eyes the color of water appeared in front of me. He introduced himself as Richard Buckley and said that the clothes I needed had already been sent from the roof down, offering to take me to what they called the “fashion closet.” He was amazing and at the same time he acted like a complete idiot. He seemed to dance around me, his eyes sparkling, and he tried his best to be charming. And I thought that one ride in the elevator was enough for me to understand that I wanted to marry him. I'm quite pragmatic in life, but yes, then I felt a kind of mental connection. He checked off every box in that “fashion closet” and boom! - at the moment when we got to the one I needed, I was already completely in his power. He seemed like such a complete person. He was so handsome, so collected, he was so mature that it scared me. And he really began to pursue me, although not too persistently. This excited me. And at the same time it was very frightening, because I understood: he is different, and everything that I feel for him is radically different from what I had to experience before.
We went Christmas shopping together one Saturday and after our first few dates we started spending almost every night together. It must have been a few days before we told each other, “I think I love you.” Today we say it to each other every night before we go to sleep, we say it at the end of every phone conversation, and we write it at the end of every letter. Whenever you think you're in love, you should say it. Whenever you want to kiss someone's hands, you should do it. I do this all the time.
We went home for Christmas and when we returned he gave me the key to his apartment and asked if I would move in with him. And I moved. By that time we had only known each other for a month. He lived with someone for three or four years, but it was not a serious relationship, and he deliberately looked for a serious one. He entered the period of his life when he turned 38 and I entered the period when I turned 25, but we were both ready to settle down, fall in love and share our lives with each other.
I managed to sleep with a lot of people and enjoy drinking, dancing and drugs to my heart's content. I had sex for the first time when I turned 14. At school I had a friend who managed to get pregnant twice while we were together. In those days, in the 70s, abortion was considered a form of birth control, and I think it happened periodically in most high schools. Of course, if I were a teenager today, I wouldn't do this to anyone, but at that time it was considered natural: the casual way in which sex was presented on television. If you watch old TV shows from the 70s, you'll notice how easily everyone jumps into each other's bed without thinking about the consequences. There is no doubt that AIDS has radically changed the situation.
One of the first people to be diagnosed with what was then called gay cancer in 1981 was a close friend of mine. This completely changed my mind, and since then I have become extremely cautious. It probably saved my life, but it changed the way I think about sex forever. Sex became associated with death, at least in my mind. Before we had sex for the first time, Richad and I had been on three dates because my best friend was in the hospital dying of AIDS. We'd go out on a date - and then he could go to the hospital, and I could go to the hospital. It was a time of great fear, which of course affected our early sexual relationships, we thought about it a lot because we saw our close friends die - precisely at the time when we fell in love with each other. If it occurred to us to make a list, we would find that half of our friends from the early 80s are no longer with us. This continued until the early 90s, without stopping for a moment.
Three years after we moved in together, Richard was diagnosed with cancer, and when it happened, the diagnosis seemed fatal. We experienced a very strong family tragedy, and it was the very thing that ultimately brought us even closer together, because we experienced it all together, and our personal history was enriched by it.
Growing older together was very interesting because we both changed. At the beginning of our relationship I was very quiet. After all, in fact, I am an extremely, extremely, pathologically shy person. Today almost no one believes in this, because I hide this feature of mine behind the facade of a public personality, which takes away a huge amount of energy from me. And Richard, when we met, was a sociable and very talkative person. Richard is an extrovert, I'm an introvert, but if you met us today you'd think it was the other way around. Now Richard can often seem very quiet, especially if he knows you well. But if you go to a party with Richard, you will find that he is extremely animated. But I hate parties and try not to go to them. I prefer lunch together or, in extreme cases, in the company of four to six close people.
One of the things that always amazes me, although “amazing” is the wrong word, because it’s not entirely true... In short, often during dinners with close friends, heterosexuals, it dawns on them that Richard and I have been together for 24 years, and they exclaim: “Wow, guys! You have been together for 24 years! Amazing! And we thought that gays don’t live together for so long.” And I ask: “Why? What are you even talking about? Some of the longest lasting relationships I know are among same-sex couples. Many of my heterosexual friends got married and divorced, married and divorced, but Richard and I continued to be a family. It seems to me that it is a very common and biased opinion, even among my most educated and liberal friends, that gay relationships are built more on sex than on emotions. And this surprises and shocks me. I’m one of those people who like to be part of a couple, I’ve always wanted it, I’ve always strived for it, and it doesn’t matter at all whether I’m gay or straight. Richard and I are connected to each other, and you realize this with renewed vigor every time you look into a person's eyes and realize that you have known this person forever. It's like you're coming home.
Ends January 19 >>
Design
In 1990, the financially struggling Italian fashion house Gucci hired Ford as head designer of its women's fashion department. Ford moved to Milan.
Soon Tom began creating men's clothing, and then shoes. Already in 1992, Tom took over the vacated position of design director, taking control of the production of clothing, accessories and perfumes, as well as taking up advertising and stores. There was also some creative friction: Maurizio Gucci, co-owner.
Tom Ford was the creative director of Gucci
In 1994, Ford was appointed creative director of Gucci. In his first year in his new role, the designer presented a luxurious collection of skinny velvet hipster trousers with a low waist, lightweight satin shirts and patent leather boots. Over the next two years, sales at Gucci grew by 90%, and by 1999 the house, which was practically declared bankrupt by the time Ford began working there, was valued at $4 billion.
In 1999, Gucci acquired the house of Yves Saint Laurent (YSL), and Tom became the label's creative director. Saint Laurent did not hide his dissatisfaction with Ford's projects, but during his time at YSL, the American won numerous awards from the Council of Designers of America and helped the fashion house regain its former popularity.
Tom Ford clothes
In 2004, Tom left Gucci and already in 2006 launched his own line of men's and women's clothing, perfume, eyewear and accessories, which he called “Tom Ford”. The designer quickly acquired hundreds of famous fans and fans, including Beyoncé, J. Lo, Anne Hathaway, Johnny Depp, Ryan Gosling, Will Smith, Hugh Jackman and others.
In 2007, the brand released an exclusive collection of twelve fragrances, the most popular of which were Tobacco Vanille, a musky-woody unisex fragrance, and Oud Wood. conquering the hearts of buyers with its rich exotic sound.
Tom Ford created Daniel Craig's costume for the role of James Bond
Ford also designed Daniel Craig's costumes for three James Bond films (Quantum of Solace, Skyfall and Specter), provided suits, shirts and accessories for Justin Timberlake's "Suit & Tie" music video, and produced more than 600 outfits for Timberlake's concert tour in support of his album "The 20/20 Experience".
How Tom Ford became incredibly cool (no objections accepted)
His suits are the first to come to mind when one thinks of well-dressed men. If you need to give an example of a well-groomed man who doesn’t look 50, Tom Ford is right there. When you think of the sexiest advertising photos, you also think of him. Rarely does anyone manage to create such an impeccable image and achieve an inextricable associative connection between themselves, their business and the definition of success. Tom Ford did it. Infection.
Designer of the best tuxedos, the most attractive man in the fashion world and gallant southerner Tom Ford is the true embodiment of the American dream. By the age of 55, Ford had saved two brands from bankruptcy, founded his own (extremely successful), earned a reputation as a witty provocateur and became famous as a director.
Tom Ford and Yves Saint Laurent
“Ever since I was a kid, my intention was to become fabulously rich and terribly famous,” Ford once told fashion critic Tim Blanks. The future “terribly famous” designer was born in 1961 in Texas into a family of realtors who were indifferent to fashion. But the grandmother, an eccentric and spectacular lady with a voluminous hairstyle, became Ford’s first example of style, and later the prototype of Julianne Moore’s heroine in his film “A Single Man.”
The “king of cut” (as British GQ dubbed him) attached great importance to issues of style since childhood: twelve-year-old Ford put his polished shoes on the night table, as if on a pedestal, and went to school with a leather briefcase instead of a nylon backpack, despite the ridicule of his classmates. One day, the teenage Ford thought that he had too many circles under his eyes, and, remembering the advice he read in a magazine, he decided that he urgently needed a cucumber mask. Fifteen minutes into the procedure, he had to be taken to the hospital with allergic shock - this is how Ford learned that cucumber masks were contraindicated for him.
At the age of sixteen, Ford moved to New York and entered the art history department of New York University, where he dropped out after a year. No matter how surprising it is now, in order to become an actor. Self-confident and attractive, he quickly settled into the bohemian circles of New York and often visited the legendary Studio 54, where friends of friends brought him.
The carefree sexuality and hedonism of the seventies largely defined Ford's vision as a designer. The Seventies have always fascinated Ford with what he calls “optimism bordering on decadence,” and he still devotes many of his collections—like the men’s for spring-summer 2020—to the extravagant characters from Studio 54.
His first job in the industry was an internship at Chloé's Paris office. Returning to New York after her, he began looking for a position as an assistant designer. By that time, Ford had already graduated from Parson's School of Design, whose alumni include Marc Jacobs and Donna Karan. During interviews, Ford usually did not mention that he studied architecture at Parson's and interned in the PR department at Chloé.
American design, in Ford's opinion, had always been "too puritanical," so after working in New York for several years, he decided to go back to Europe, where "real fashion existed." Soon he was offered a job on the Gucci design team, and a couple of years later, thanks to a happy coincidence, he received a promotion to the brand's chief designer.
Before Tom Ford became the creative director of Gucci, it was difficult to say anything definite about the brand: founded in 1921 by Italian Guccio Gucci and made famous for its leather accessories, by the 1990s Gucci produced leather accessories and not very memorable clothes. There was practically no commercial sense in its existence, and, according to the recollections of New York Times columnist Cathy Horyn, at that time fashion editors were not invited to the shows - they were begged to come.
Gucci basically had no story to tell, and Ford's first women's collection was a flop, receiving scathing reviews. However, after a semi-disastrous debut, Ford became bolder, realizing, as he later admitted, that he still had nothing to lose. In 1995, he presented a women's collection that Vogue critic Sarah Mower aptly dubbed "the designer equivalent of sex with a stranger." This was followed by the famous “white” show, which consisted of long white dresses with provocative cutouts. In 1995, Ford presented a men's collection, after which Gucci shows became mandatory items on the agenda for fashion editors. Thigh-hugging trousers and tight turtlenecks, striped ties and perfectly fitting shirts appeared in the Gucci man's wardrobe - from now on Gucci clothing symbolized hedonism, sensuality, luxury and comfort.
It was known before Tom Ford that sexuality is an effective marketing tool, but it was he who showed how effective it is. During Ford's time at Gucci, the brand's turnover increased more than tenfold. The designer took responsibility, including for the preparation of advertising campaigns. Ford collaborated with stylist Carine Roitfeld and photographer Mario Testino, whose scandalous photographs are still inextricably associated with Gucci. Testino also created a banned 2003 advertising campaign that featured model Carmen Kass posing with the Gucci logo shaved into her body.
It was a rare Ford campaign during the Gucci Group era that did not draw criticism from moralists and accusations of objectifying women. After another scandal in connection with photographs of naked Sophie Dahl for an advertisement for the Opium fragrance (this time for Yves Saint Laurent), Ford said that he actually supports gender equality and is happy to objectify anyone. As proof of this, an advertisement for the M7 fragrance for Saint Laurent with a naked Samuel de Cubber was soon published - and immediately censored.
In the Gucci Group, whose position strengthened throughout the second half of the 90s, Ford played an increasingly important role. Gucci's turnover grew, and Tom Ford took part in administrative decisions: it was he who convinced Gucci management to acquire the young but promising brands Alexander McQueen and Stella McCartney, and it was he who took a key position in Yves Saint Laurent. Yves Saint Laurent joined the Gucci Group in 2000. The concern, young at that time, sought to establish itself in the fashion industry, for which it needed a coalition with a well-known brand like Dior or Chanel. Yves Saint Laurent turned out to be an ideal candidate: the company was on the verge of bankruptcy, and its founder was trying to get rid of alcohol addiction.
Tom Ford before the Yves Saint Laurent show in Paris
Under the terms of the deal, Saint Laurent, as before, worked on the couture collections, and the ready-to-wear lines became the responsibility of Ford. Working in the prim Parisian House was not easy for Ford: Yves Saint Laurent and his partner Pierre Berger publicly criticized the designer, and in one interview Saint Laurent commented on Ford’s collections: “The poor fellow works to the best of his abilities.” Despite the low appreciation of Saint Laurent, the brand's turnover grew steadily under Ford, and his collections, inspired by the history of Yves Saint Laurent, were liked by fashion critics.
“Being a good creative director at a brand requires more than just being a talented designer,” Ford told Women's Wear Daily. “You need to be able to see the full picture, know exactly what to say, to whom and why.” At the Gucci Group, Ford has always been more than just a talented designer. His powers included making strategic decisions, and after 2006 he was to take the place of general director of the concern.
Tom Ford and Colin Firth at the premiere of A Single Man, 2009.
Instead, to the dismay of the fashion industry, Tom Ford left the group in 2004. As he explained later, the reason for his departure was a power struggle within the Gucci Group: shareholders wanted to gain more control over the work of the brands, Ford, not used to sharing powers, decided to leave.
For the past four years at the Gucci Group, Ford has worked at a frantic pace, producing 64 collections a year for Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent. He later said that after leaving the company, he felt empty and faced his first midlife crisis. Ford embodied his depression in a brilliant directorial debut. A Single Man, which premiered in 2009, is an autobiographical, melancholy, impeccably stylish film, for which Ford adapted the script himself.
Since 2004, when Ford left the Gucci Group, the fashion industry has been waiting for him to open his own brand: after all, in ten years at Gucci the designer has gathered a whole army of admirers. In 2006, he finally launched the brand of the same name “for modern, dynamic people who travel a lot and make good money.” Today, the Tom Ford brand, whose history began with the production of cosmetics and accessories, is known for its perfect tuxedos, excellent suits and elegant accessories.
“Impossibly tight,” as Vogue columnist Susie Menkes once called them, Tom Ford's trousers and his impeccable jackets are largely to blame for the increased interest in men's fashion over the past few years. Ford, whose business sense has never failed, creates things for all times, perfectly fitting, discreet shades. Unlike Gucci during Ford's time, Tom Ford is a mature, less provocative brand: you won't find thongs in its assortment. His clothes embody the idea of relaxed luxury: well-thought-out suits, comfortable boots, elegant glasses, soft dressing gowns, impeccably stylish ties... Ford is not too concerned with fashion trends: for example, he hates short trousers and believes that there is a time in every man's life when following trends is simply stupid.
Now Ford claims that he has generally settled down, as befits the father of a four-year-old child. In particular, he no longer drinks or walks around the house naked, so as, as he explains, “not to scare the nanny.” Ford the designer, fortunately, did not become more chaste: his Tom Ford campaigns are permeated with daring sexuality, and recently - to the outrage of some representatives of the Catholic Church - he presented a pendant in the shape of a penis, reminiscent of a cross. Attacks from the Church Ford calmly Fr.
Tom Ford and Karlie Kloss
“I fully admit that I may lag behind life, my work may at some point become irrelevant,” Ford said more than once in his interviews. However, if this happens, it will clearly not be in the foreseeable future. He is still full of plans, as before, he is not afraid to take risks (Ford was one of the first to switch to the new show regime), and his name does not disappear from the lists of the most fashionable and beautiful people on the planet. Impeccably dressed and unfailingly handsome, he is his brand's best advertisement, and it's hard not to agree with The Guardian that "not since Chanel has there been a designer who has embodied his brand image as powerfully as Tom Ford." .
Photo: Getty Images
Do you check your email often? Let there be something interesting from us.
Directing
In the spring of 2005, Ford decided to expand his biography by launching his own film production company, Fade to Black. In 2009, Tom made his directorial debut with the drama A Single Man, starring Colin Firth and Julianne Moore. The main emphasis in the film is on recreating the details, colors and images of the 60s in clothes and architecture. The film received several prestigious awards, and Ford began to be considered not only as a talented designer.
In 2020, Tom began filming the neo-noir thriller Nocturnal Animals, with the participation of famous Hollywood actors Jake Gyllenhaal and Amy Adams. The film received praise from critics and the Grand Prix of the Jury at the 73rd Venice Film Festival.
Marc Jacobs and Char Defrancesco
Designer Marc Jacobs and former fashion model Char (Charlie) Defrancesco got married in April 2020. A beautiful wedding took place in New York, and all the celebrities of Manhattan had fun at it.
Before this, Mark and Char dated for four years (their romance began in 2015). The newlyweds don’t have children yet, but they are raising a dog together and furnishing the house. Char, by the way, launched his own line of scented candles: it’s called A Bougie Candle by Char Defrancesco and Naomi Campbell really likes it.
They also love to travel and post silly funny videos during every trip. “The videos are stupid - but not because we are drug addicts. We're just having fun!" — just in case, Jacobs clarifies.
Personal life
Since 1986, Ford has been in a relationship with Richard Buckley, a journalist and former editor-in-chief of Vogue Hommes International magazine. A few years ago, the lovers got married and adopted a boy, who was named Alexander John “Jack” Buckley Ford (born 2012).
Tom Ford and his husband Richard Buckley
For a long time, Ford and Richard lived in Italy, but then moved to London. In their native Santa Fe, the couple owns a huge country complex of more than 9,700 hectares, designed by architect Tadao Ando from Japan.
Tom Ford now
In March 2020, Ford announced on its official website that its brand was no longer following the see now - buy now concept (saw, bought, put on) and was returning to the standard Fashion Week schedule. The designer said that the decision was dictated by the fashion industry’s unpreparedness for such innovations. Ford supported the see now—buy now system for only one season.
Tom Ford now
The brand's next spring/summer 2020 show will be held in New York rather than London. The studio for creating women's collections will soon operate in Los Angeles, but the men's collection will continue to operate in the UK capital.
It also became known that Ford, who worked in London for many years, is going to move to the United States. In Los Angeles, Tom, his husband and son will live in a mansion that once belonged to 1960s American socialite Betsy Bloomingdale.
Michael Kors and Lance Leper
Michael Kors and Lance Leper are one of the first same-sex couples to make their relationship official. They got married in 2011, almost immediately after gay marriage was legalized in New York.
A quiet, modest ceremony took place on the beach in Southampton. Michael Kors commented on this event: “This is even more than you can dream of.”
The couple built a cozy family nest in New York's Greenwich Village and now work together to promote the prosperity of the Michael Kors brand: Lance, who has always worked in the fashion industry, took the post of one of the directors in his husband's company.
Michael Kors and Lance Leper at their Greenwich Village home
