PARIS, FRANCE – SEPTEMBER 29: Designer Haider Ackermann acknowledges the audience during the Haider … [+] Ackermann show as part of the Paris Fashion Week Womenswear Spring/Summer 2019 on September 29, 2018 in Paris, France. (Photo by Kristy Sparow/Getty Images)
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After much intrigue, it has been announced today that Colombian-born French designer, Haider Ackermann has been appointed the Creative Director of Tom Ford, effective immediately.
Tom Ford, who stepped away from his brand in April 2023 following the sale to Estée Lauder for $2.8 billion, passed the brand baton onto long-standing and much-revered deputy Peter Hawkings, who had been with the brand since its launch and served the position for a year, having left in July—and next up, we see Ackermann take the reins.
The appointment marks Ackermann’s return to the catwalk too, with his last runway being in 2018 showing his own brand; he shares, “It is with tremendous pride that I will seek to honor the legacy of Tom Ford, a man I have long admired and have the utmost respect for. I am much looking forward to what lies ahead.”
The American fashion house, founded in 2005 is synonymous with rebellious-yet-polished, and oh-so-sexy clothing collections for women and men, and as we see this next chapter unfold, we expect Ackermann’s avant-garde approach to design to be incorperated. After all, he did study fashion at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp (alumni also include Ann Demeulemeester and Dries Van Notenthe of the infamous Antwerp six), and these graduates are rooted in strong silhouettes and on-point tailoring, for which Tom Ford is also known.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 12: Tom Ford walks the runway at the conclusion of his Tom Ford SS22 … [+] during NYFW: The Shows at David H. Koch Theater, Lincoln Center on September 12, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by JP Yim/Getty Images)
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On the appointment, Founder Tom Ford says, “I have long been a great fan of Haider’s work. I find both his womenswear and menswear equally compelling. He is an incredible colorist, his tailoring is sharp, and above all he is modern. We share many of the same historical references, and I could not be more excited to see what he does with the brand. I suspect that I will be the first on my feet to applaud after his show in March.”
Ackermann’s first collection will debut at Paris Fashion Week in March 2025, and based in Paris, he will report into Guillaume Jesel, President and CEO, Tom Ford and Luxury Business Development, who says, “Haider stands out as one of the world’s most visionary and inspiring talents in fashion. He draws on his deep affinity for global culture and the arts to create arresting fashion and memorable emotional connections. He is the ideal steward to usher Tom Ford into the future.”
He’ll also bring word to Lelio Gavazza, CEO, Tom Ford Fashion, Ermenegildo Zegna Group, who says tribute to Ackermann’s ingenuity, “His unparalleled creativity, which is aligned with the brand’s DNA, as well as his renowned experience in luxury, will be instrumental in driving the fashion business forward during its next important phase of expansion. Working alongside the talented team at Tom Ford Fashion, Haider’s modern vision, for both men’s and women’s wear, will be essential as we advance and execute the many projects we have in development.”
We’ll eagerly await his debut collection, which will be shown at Paris Fashion Week in March 2025.
