Early Upbringing
Born in Austin, Texas, to two realtors, Tom was supported by his family in all of his creative endeavors early on. They would send him to art and music lessons and even gave him the freedom to go through their closets and let him style their outfits and choose their perfume and cologne.
Upon graduating from high school, Tom moved to New York City to pursue an education in the creative arts. After short stints at both Bard College at Simon Rock and New York University, Tom finally found his footing at the Parsons School of Design, where he would study architecture. Ford decided to study abroad in France at Parsons' Paris Campus for his senior year. However, during this final year, he realized he had a stronger passion for fashion and decided that would be his new career path after graduating.
Journey to Gucci
Once he finished school, he relentlessly pursued a job opportunity working under the prominent American fashion designer Cathy Hardwick. He would call her hundreds of times before she eventually picked up the phone and agreed to interview him. Soon after interviewing, he got the job and worked as her design assistant for two years. This opportunity led him to work with Perry Ellis as a fashion designer. Eventually, he was recruited by Dawn Mello of the Italian Fashion House, Gucci. At the time, the brand was dealing with many internal and external issues, and Tom came in at the perfect time to help build a new identity for the luxury fashion house. He quickly found success, helping the company to raise its sales numbers from around $200 million to $3 Billion after assuming the position of the fashion house's creative director in 1994 once Mello returned to New York to resume her role at Bergdorf Goodman.
Redefining the Brand for the 21st Century
Before Ford joined Gucci, the brand was known primarily for its shoes, bags, luggage, and accessories, and it was just starting to build up its ready-to-wear lines. These collections focused on chic, formal pieces with bright primary colors and a mix of plaid and their famous Flora print patterns.
However, based on Ford's experience working on and building advertising campaigns for brands, he understood that "sex sells." He wanted to use this as a mantra for his collections presented in the new millennium. This would be demonstrated within his Spring 2000 show, where he featured a variety of silk and sequin cocktail dresses, an array of python skin patterns, and leather jumpsuits that demonstrated a punk, ultramodern aesthetic. A standout piece from this collection was the ivory leather embroidered trousers, which featured a flared leg and floral, jacquard fabric design, paying homage to the classic Gucci designs featured in the 1980s.