The history of Tom Ford and his work: two books explain his legacy (Gucci and his own brand)

He's not just one designer, his career is two great stories.

Not many people in design get to be a myth while they live; Tom Ford is one of them. His name harkens back to old Hollywood glamour; there's a lot of sexiness in everything he does. He's also a super perfectionist. The Tom Ford brand equals the man, famous for those unique things, like painting the tractors on his ranch black to match his horses.

His career is not a single story; it's two very big and very different stages. Ford is famous for wanting to control everything, so he documented these stages himself. The whole story of Tom Ford is in two famous books: the first one is black, it is called Tom Ford (2004) and tells his first stage, the second one is white, it is called Tom Ford 002 (2021) and celebrates the second stage.

We will use these two books to understand what Tom Ford did. We will go through the story in two parts, from when he took over Gucci and everything changed, until he created his own brand, selling it for 2.8 billion dollars, which is a lot of money.

Part One: "Tom Ford" (The 001 Book) and when he revived the Gucci brand.

Before its name was famous, Gucci was a storied Italian brand, but by the late 1980s it was no longer doing well. People thought it was old-fashioned or "dusty". Tom Ford is American, he's from Texas, and he came from an atypical background. He studied architecture at Parsons, then switched to fashion, and even hid his architecture degree when he went on interviews. He worked for Cathy Hardwick and Perry Ellis, then went to Milan and in 1990 became a womenswear designer at Gucci.

In 1994, he was made Creative Director. What happened next was a dramatic change in fashion, everything changed so fast. Ford got control of all the product lines, he also managed the image of the company, the campaigns and how the stores looked. He injected the brand with a lot of glamour and sexuality all at once, it was a provocative style that people called "porno chic". His collections, for example the fall 1995 collection, told people what to wear in the '90s, so Gucci became important to the culture again.

Ford did very well, he led and Gucci's sales went from $230 million to about $3 billion, a lot of money. Then the Gucci Group bought Yves Saint Laurent (YSL) in 1999, and Ford was also named Creative Director there, meaning he had two of the most important fashion houses in the world under his command; that's power.

This good period came to an abrupt end in 2004. A company, Pinault Printemps Redoute (PPR, now called Kering), had bought the Gucci Group. Ford left suddenly; it wasn't because of money, he said it was because of a "power struggle" and because he lost creative control, which for him was the most important thing at work.

To bring this to an end, Ford brought out his first book, it's called Tom Ford and it came out in 2004. This book is very big, it has a black cover, and it tells everything he did in his ten years with Gucci and YSL, it was a time where he revived that brand and marked how that decade of fashion was.

Second Important Topic: His Own Brand, How He Created an Empire and the book "Tom Ford 002".

When he left Gucci, Ford didn't stand still. He set up his own luxury brand, called Tom Ford SA, that was in 2005. He teamed up with Domenico de Sole, his partner from the Gucci era, and this guy took over the presidency of the new company.

The way he launched the brand was very clever. Ford didn't start with clothing because you need a lot of investment for that, that's very expensive. Instead, he launched his brand in 2004 using licenses that leave a lot of money, this was before he founded the actual company. He did a deal with Marcolin Group to do sunglasses and optics, and he signed a very key deal with Estée Lauder to create the Tom Ford Beauty line.

The beauty line came out in 2005 and in 2006 came "Black Orchid," the brand's first famous cologne. He quickly got into men's fashion, even dressing Daniel Craig when he played James Bond, and then brought out the women's line which was very well received. Many people said that the Tom Ford brand was the "first true luxury brand of the twenty-first century."

Seventeen years after his first book, Ford brought out the sequel which is called Tom Ford 002 in 2021. This is a big book, but it has a white cover, and it is like a visual tribute to his own brand, telling everything that happened in the 15 years since he created it.

What does the "Tom Ford 002 Book" contain?

This volume is big, it has 444 pages, it's a lot of photos that show you how Tom Ford has evolved. You can see everything from cosmetics and eyewear to the complete clothing collections for both men and women. The book is full of great photos, taken by famous photographers; we're talking about Inez & Vinoodh, Nick Knight, Steven Meisel and Mert & Marcus. It also has the commercials, those with that sexual touch she always uses, and the star-studded runway shows, with people who are fans of the brand like Julianne Moore, Gigi Hadid and Joan Smalls.

Anna Wintour's foreword and key contributions

Ford edited the 002 book himself, it is a personal work. Anna Wintour, Vogue's influential editor, wrote the foreword, and Graydon Carter provided the introduction. Not only are there pictures, Ford also tells the story of how he created his empire using his own words.

Is it worth it? Analysis of the book as a design object

These two books, 001 and 002, are considered collectors' items by the fashion, style and design people, they really want them. The first book (001) became a decorating staple, they put it in every luxury home. It became so common that some decoration magazines supposedly banned it, it was too much. The 002 book is like the elegant complement of the first one. Many people sell them together in a deluxe slipcase; this represents the two complete stages of Ford's career.

Tom Ford's Sale to Estée Lauder: The Closing of a Millionaire's Circle

The second moment of Tom Ford's career came to a spectacular financial end in 2023. The Estée Lauder Companies, who had always been his beauty partners, bought the entire Tom Ford SA brand. They closed a historic deal valued at $2.8 billion.

With this new structure, Estée Lauder owns the entire brand and its licenses. The fashion business, which includes clothing, accessories and footwear, is operated by the Ermenegildo Zegna Group under a license. Following the sale, Tom Ford is no longer the creative director of his brand. They appointed Peter Hawkings, who was a long-time collaborator, as his successor.

Tom Ford built two fashion empires and sold them, it was a success. He announced that he is retiring from this industry that he helped define and change. He is now starting a different creative chapter. He is going into full-time filmmaking with his production company, which is called "Fade to Black."

What Makes the Brand Unique: Classic Fragrances and Eyewear

Tom Ford's runway shows were always all over the papers, but the money base and identity of his brand was always in beauty and eyewear. These products are luxury, but many people can afford them; they are more affordable than couture clothing. This allowed almost everyone to adopt the Tom Ford aesthetic.

The world of perfumes: It's not all Black Orchid

"Black Orchid" came out in 2006, but it was just the beginning of it all. Fragrance connoisseurs love the "Private Blend Collection". From this luxury line, the perfume "Oud Wood" is very famous. People always ask why it costs so much, and it is because of the agarwood ingredient. That material is very rare and very expensive. These perfumes are important to the success of the brand, as is the "Signature" line, which has things that sell a lot like "Rose Prick."

Tom Ford glasses: The symbol of being someone important.

Tom Ford's sunglasses and optical frames are very important, just like the perfumes, and they produce them with Marcolin. These glasses became a status symbol immediately. The design is elegant and people easily recognized them by that "T" metal detail on the hinge. That detail showed very well the luxury, power and glamour that the designer wanted.

Tom Ford Film Director: A Legacy Outside of Fashion

Ford not only made his fashion empire, he also became a very famous film director. Film is like an extension of his eye for detail, he knows how to do that very well. He makes movies that look great and hit you hard on the emotions, the truth is that they are super visual, he pays a lot of attention to that.

His Film "A Single Man" (2009)

His first film was "A Single Man", critics all over the world loved it very much. Colin Firth is the main character, the movie has a super impressive aesthetic. Every scene looks like he designed it himself, it's like he's a designer, that's why it looks so perfect. People also said it explored themes like grief, love and beauty very well, it was very moving.

About "Nocturnal Animals" (2016).

He then made his second film which is called "Nocturnal Animals." This one is a complicated thriller with a lot of style, the truth is that it leaves you thinking. Amy Adams and Jake Gyllenhaal are the main characters. The film made Tom Ford look like a real, serious filmmaker, not just a fashion guy. His two films show that he knows how to tell stories very well, not just on the catwalk. Now he spends most of his time doing that, he loves directing, so he's not so much into catwalks anymore.

Common Questions About Tom Ford (What People Want to Know)

Who was Tom Ford married to?

Richard Buckley was Tom Ford's husband, he was a highly respected fashion journalist, and he was also a former editor-in-chief of Vogue Hommes International. They had one of the longest relationships in the fashion industry, they started dating in 1986, married in 2014, stayed together until Buckley died in 2021.

How many children does Tom Ford have?

Tom Ford and Richard Buckley have only one son, his name is Alexander John "Jack" Buckley Ford. Jack came into the family in 2012, they used a surrogate for him to be born.

What happened with Tom Ford and Gucci?

Tom Ford left Gucci in 2004, he had been the Creative Director for ten years. His departure was because they couldn't agree on how to handle creativity and strategy with the new owners of the company, that was Pinault Printemps Redoute, which we now call Kering, because they had bought the Gucci Group.

How much does the Tom Ford book cost?

There are two main Tom Ford books. The first one is called "Tom Ford" (2004), people sometimes call it 001, and this book shows everything he did at Gucci. The second is "Tom Ford 002" (2021), which tells the story of his personal brand. Both books are luxury to put on the table, they are things that people collect. Their prices are usually above $100; the cost changes a lot depending on the store and the edition you are looking for.

Conclusion: What Tom Ford leaves us, is already written.

Tom Ford really influenced the culture of today, there's no denying that. He did more than just design clothes, he changed the way we look at luxury and sensuality twice. First he took an old brand that hardly anyone remembered anymore and made it the most desirable brand in the world, defining what was beautiful in the 90s. Then he did something very complicated, he built a global luxury brand worth a lot of money from scratch, and put his name on it.

He wrote his own story very calmly in two books, this shows that he is a perfectionist who controlled what people always say about him. He was called the "King of Sex", then he became a well-known film director and is a multi-millionaire who already sold his empire. Tom Ford's legacy is already written, sealed and published.

Check out his legacy for yourself. Which Tom Ford moment represents you more, the glamour that takes you out of your comfort zone of [Book 001] or the modern opulence of [Book 002]?