After the brief interim of Peter Hawkings, in the wake of its takeover by the Estée Lauder group, TOM FORD announces the arrival of Haider Ackermann as Artistic Director. A mature designer who brings with him a wealth of experience and recognition from the Fashion Sphere.
On September 4, TOM FORD announced the appointment ofHaider Ackermann as Creative Director, effective immediately.
Responsible for driving the creative vision of the entire brand, he will be in charge of all fashion categories: menswear, womenswear, accessories and eyewear.
He will report to Guillaume Jesel, CEO of TOM FORD and Luxury Business Development, as well as to The Estée Lauder Companies, which acquired the group at the end of 2022, and to Lelio Gavazza, CEO of TOM FORD FASHION, a subsidiary of Ermenegildo Zegna. The fashion license for the House was entrusted to the Italian group by Estée Lauder after the takeover, while the eyewear license (TOM FORD EYEWEAR) was signed with Marcolin.
Before becoming the owner of the House founded in 2005 by Tom Ford, the former star designer of Yves Saint Laurent, Estée Lauder had been the licensee of TOM FORD BEAUTY since 2006.
First collection in March 2025
Born in Bogota, Colombia, 53 years ago, but French by adoption, Haider Ackermann will be based in the French capital.
His first collection, for Fall-Winter 2025-26 for TOM FORD, will be presented at Paris Fashion Week in March 2025. Meanwhile, Tom Ford’s spring-summer 2025 collection, designed by the studio, will be unveiled at a presentation in Milan.
It’s safe to assume that TOM FORD has cast the right artistic direction this time…
After its takeover by Estée Lauder, the initial choice had not proved conclusive.
Peter Hawkings had been appointed in May 2023 to take over the reins of style after Tom Ford decided to relinquish them to pursue a career in the film industry. Peter Hawkings knew Tom Ford and his House well: he had worked alongside him at Gucci and then in his House for the men’s collections. But he had only had time to present his first two collections, which were nevertheless well received for their consistency with the TOM FORD DNA.
Nevertheless, last July, after just one year at the helm, Zegna announced that Peter Hawkings would be leaving the company.
Good news
Be that as it may, the arrival of Haider Ackermann, who had forged a more personal itinerary and a fine reputation in fashion before joining TOM FORD, is good news for the House.
Tom Ford CEO Guillaume Jesel hails Haider Ackermann as “one of the fashion world’s most visionary and inspiring talents”, who “draws on his deep affinity for global culture and the arts to create captivating fashion and memorable emotional connections”. He sees him as “ the ideal director to lead TOM FORD into the future”.
For his part, Tom Ford confided that he had “long been a great admirer of Haider’s work”. He spoke of his fascination “with both his women’s and men’s clothing”. He emphasizes “his incredible sense of color, his tapered cuts” and sees in him, “a modern man” with whom he shares “many historical references”. “Impatient to see what he’s going to do for the brand”, he thinks he’ll be ‘the first’ to ”stand up and applaud him after his show in March.”
Cosmopolitan profile
Haider Ackermann’s cosmopolitan profile and extensive experience in fashion will be undeniable assets for the House of Tom Ford, now distributed in some 100 countries.
During his youth, Haider Ackermann lived successively in Ethiopia, Chad, Algeria, the Netherlands and Belgium! In Belgium, he studied fashion design at theRoyal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp from 1994 to 1997.
After graduating and a five-month internship with John Galliano, he went on to work with Belgian designers Wim Neels and Patrick Van Ommeslaeghe, and German designer Bernhard Willhelm.
In 2001, he launched his own women’s fashion label in Paris . His last show took place in February 2020.
At the same time, he was creative director at Berluti from 2016 to 2018. But he also collaborated, notably, with Belgian luxury brand Maison Ullens, from 2021 to 2023, with Italian sportswear brand Fila and was guest designer for Jean Paul Gaultier‘s haute couture collection.
Cap kept at Canada Goose
In May 2023, he took over the creative reins at Canada Goose, the Canadian outdoor king. A cap that he will keep in addition to that of Tom Ford, with a first capsule planned before the end of the year, the brand told the specialized press.
Proof of Haider Ackermann’s recognition in the industry, the very demanding Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld had mentioned him, years before his death, as a potential successor at the Maison de la rue Cambon.
Lelio Gavazza, Managing Director of TOM FORD FASHION, believes that Haider Ackermann’s “ unrivalled creativity”, “which corresponds to the brand’s DNA, and his recognized experience in the luxury sector will be decisive in leading our fashion house through its next important phase of expansion” and that “his modern vision, for both men and women, will be essential in driving forward and executing the many projects currently under development”.
Haider Ackermann himself expressed his “immense pride in honoring the legacy of Tom Ford, a man ‘he has long admired’ and for whom he has ‘the greatest respect’. Today, he says he “can’t wait to see what the future holds.”
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Featured Photo: © TOM FORD
