Tom Ford, BFA Environmental Design ’86

Tom Ford ’86, fashion designer, film director, screenwriter, and film producer, is a visionary who continues to shape the cultural landscape.

Tom Ford, BFA Environmental Design ’86, the award-winning fashion designer, film director, screenwriter, and film producer, continues to evolve and shape culture and the arts.

Ford launched his eponymous luxury brand in April 2005 and has since expanded to offer a complete collection of menswear, as well as womenswear, accessories, eyewear, beauty, fragrance, underwear, and timepieces. He set out to design a women’s ready-to-wear line to redefine modern luxury. Ford was previously the Creative Director of Gucci Group, where he designed for luxury houses Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent until 2004.

Ford began his career as a design assistant for CFDA Member Cathy Hardwick, and joined the CFDA in 2000. He has won a total of seven CFDA Fashion Awards: Menswear Designer of the Year (2015, 2008), Womenswear Designer of the Year (2001), Accessory Designer of the Year (2002), Board of Director’s Tribute (2004), International Designer of the Year (1995), and the Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award (2014).

Ford directed the films A Single Man (2009) and Nocturnal Animals (2016), which were both nominated for an Oscar.

In 2019, the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) named Ford the Chairman, succeeding current chairwoman Diane Von Furstenberg after.