Tom Ford bows out from eponymous model after multibillion takeover deal

US clothier’s departure is available in wake of sale to cosmetics group Estée Lauder

US clothier Tom Ford is retiring from the eponymous model he co-founded following a multibillion-dollar sale to cosmetics group Estée Lauder.

Longtime affiliate Peter Hawkings will succeed him as inventive director, whereas Estée Lauder’s Guillaume Jesel turns into chief govt and president, taking on the latter function from Domenico De Sole, Tom Ford’s different co-founder.

The reshuffle follows Estée Lauder’s settlement final November to purchase Tom Ford for $2.8bn, together with debt, prevailing over a number of different rivals.

For New York-based Estée Lauder, the acquisition is the most important in a sequence of offers which have expanded its worldwide market over the previous few years.

The deal included Tom Ford’s attire line, a luxurious section during which the cosmetics group has little expertise.

Ford, 61, a former inventive director of Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent, launched his model 18 years in the past with De Sole, Gucci’s former chief govt.

The corporate has a robust luxurious magnificence line, a profitable vogue line and a profitable eyewear enterprise by licensing agreements with Italian eyewear producer Marcolin.

This week Ford hinted at his personal retirement from vogue with a quick video showcasing his archives posted to his social media accounts.

The caption referred to his “final assortment”. Ford stated he was happy with the brand new partnerships and appointments, calling Hawkings the “excellent” inventive director for the model.

Individually, luxurious Italian menswear group Ermenegildo Zegna is shopping for Tom Ford Worldwide, the style arm.

Underneath the deal, Estée Lauder, which owns the Tom Ford trademark, can also be giving the Italian group a 30-year licensing settlement. This permits the Zegna Group to make use of the Tom Ford model and trademark.

The Milan-based group already owned 15 per cent of Tom Ford Worldwide and manufactured the model’s luxurious menswear. It stated it had acquired the remaining 85 per cent of the corporate for €150mn.

Tom Ford Worldwide posted yearly revenues of €312mn in 2022.

Gildo Zegna, the Italian group’s chief govt, stated the deal, which follows its US itemizing two years in the past, provides “the potential to broaden [our] enterprise globally”.

Zegna will announce the style arm’s new chief govt over the summer time.

Tom Ford and Domenico De Sole will function advisers to the model till the tip of the yr.

In 1990, Ford joined Gucci, then a virtually bankrupt Italian family-owned vogue home, and have become its inventive director 4 years later.

He’s credited with having remodeled the model into a world vogue powerhouse.

“We’ve had an in depth partnership with Estée Lauder, in addition to an in depth relationship with the Zegna Group over the previous 30 years . . . I’m sure that these two firms collectively will stick with it the legacy that Tom and I’ve constructed over the previous 18 years,” stated De Sole.