"I hated being an actor because I wasn't in control. So I went back to school."
He graduated in Architecture and then convinced Chloe in Paris that he should intern in fashion. “I took a load of sketches and said I was a Parsons grad,” Ford recalls. “Nobody asked what I’d actually graduated in.”
This move eventually led him to become chief designer at Gucci. Thanks to Ford's vision and brilliance, the sleepy design house was overhauled into a $3 billion fashion force earning fans from Brad Pitt to Jennifer Lopez.
Then, in 2005 he created the Tom Ford brand, launching his own fragrance and beauty collection, creating a luxury ready-to-wear line and made-to-measure accessories, footwear and clothing. If that weren’t enough, he made his fi lm directorial debut with the critically acclaimed Oscar and Golden Globe nominated "A Single Man".
He also designed for Daniel Craig, both on screen as James Bond and off.
purest form of expression."
He recalls of Craig: "I designed the costumes for Quantum of Solace. Daniel’s great: we’d been dressing him for a while. He knows exactly what he wants. We could not get him to wear studs with his tuxedo, for example. He wanted buttons. Having said that, it does not take a lot to make him look good. "
With his desire to be in charge, it's no surprise that Ford also took up fi lm directing. "Film is the most artistic thing I have ever done, really the purest form of expression."
He admits that sometimes it was intense - and frightening.
"The key was to create a suit that was totally distinct in style as well
as feel. It is very British, but with the lightness of hand of Italian
tailoring. So, I call it a hybrid international style.
"No matter how much you love something, there are those moments where you think, maybe I am just way out on a limb and other people are not going to feel this way. But then after the screening in Venice, we had a standing ovation for ten minutes. It was very emotional, and it was just like a great release of 'yes, it spoke to other people.'"
Tom Ford is a fascinating mixture. Sensitive to the needs of others, he is also very clear about what he wants. It's a fi ne balance. He has been accused of being unbending in his design of his suits because he intends to stay true to his vision. So it is that his own criticisms of Savile Row might be levelled also at him. An enigma and a genius, it is just what we come to expect of this fascinating man.b
TOM FORD At A Glance
• Born in 1961, in Austin, Texas • Dropped out of New York University to act
• Studied architecture at Parsons Design School
• Worked for a Chloe fashion house in Paris
• Moved to Italy to design for failing fashion house, Gucci
• Revived Gucci to become a major fashion house
• Became creative director of Yves Saint-Laurent
• Directed movie A Single Man • Set up his own Tom Ford designer brand