Tom Ford has departed his eponymous brand — but is he really done with fashion forever?
This Wednesday marked the end of an era as Tom Ford released a surprise Fall 2023 collection before departing from the namesake brand he launched 13 years ago. As confirmed in a press release and Tom Ford’s official Instagram, this is Ford’s final collection for the brand, after selling it to Estée Lauder for $2.8 billion last November.
The archival collection pays tribute to much of Ford’s early work with re-editions of his favourite, most iconic designs. For instance, there’s a remake of his Spring 2020 fuchsia breastplate-and-skirt ensemble, the Fall 2012 white caped gown Gwyneth Paltrow wore to the Oscars, and a metallic body-con dress from the Spring 2016 collection. In a campaign video, models pose in glass displays, with Ford standing before them directing their movements as if they were mannequins in a store.
The final Tom Ford campaign features an all-star cast of models and celebrities, including Amber Valetta, Joan Smalls, Karlie Kloss, Karen Elson, Caroline Trentini and more. If anything, Tom Ford’s final collection campaign proves just how prolific and influential his designs have been.
But what’s perhaps most intriguing, though, is that there has been no mention of Ford’s exit from fashion – just his departure from the brand. The press release and Instagram posts from Tom Ford state that this collection is Ford’s last for his namesake brand. So, could we see Ford taking his talents elsewhere?
Or maybe he could just retire. After all, the designer has pretty much completed everything there is to achieve in fashion. He’s started and sold his own line, served as creative director for Gucci and Saint Laurent and even directed a critically acclaimed movie (A Single Man). Not a bad CV to walk away with.
But let’s be honest, it would be incredibly shocking never to see Ford in the limelight again, and it’s pretty unlikely that’ll be the case given the drive that he’s displayed throughout his almost 40-year spanning career. Here’s to another few more years, perhaps?
