Tom Ford - From Fashion Designer To Director

In addition to running his own eponymous label

, American fashion designer Tom Ford is credited with turning around a struggling Gucci. He also directed the Oscar-nominated movie "A Single Man."

Ford was born in Austin, Texas, and moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, while still a child. He later studied art history at New York University, but dropped out after just one year. Instead of pursuing academia, he instead began starring in television commercials, finding quick success. He later returned to school, studying interior architecture at Parson's The New School for Design. Before graduating from The New School, Ford spent time working in the press office for the fashion label Chloe, in Paris. While at Chloe, Ford realized his love of fashion. Upon returning to The New School, he studied fashion for his last year, but would ultimately graduate with a degree in architecture.

After graduating, Ford was determined to break into the fashion world. His strategy of calling designer Cathy Hardwick on a daily basis eventually paid off with an interview and a job. Later, Ford moved on to work for Perry Ellis, where Marc Jacobs was currently working. Two years later, he had tired of working in American fashion and longed for the challenge of working in European fashion. The opportunity came when he was hired by Gucci, a company that was in free fall at the time.

Hired to design women's ready-to-wear, Ford soon found himself branching out to other departments, including menswear and shoes. In 1992, Ford took over as design director and was promoted to creative director in 1994. Gucci sales nearly doubled under Ford's watch. Sales continued to grow, and when Ford left Gucci in 2004, the once-struggling company was valued at $10 billion.

In 2005, Ford announced the creation of the Tom Ford brand. In addition to the menswear and accessory collections offered by Tom Ford, optical frames and sunglasses were introduced, as well as the Tom Ford Beauty collection. Ford opened his flagship store in 2007 in New York City.

Ford has been repeatedly recognized by the fashion industry, receiving numerous accolades throughout his career. Some of his prestigious awards include:

-- Time Magazine's Best Fashion Designer

-- GQ's Designer of the Year

-- Council of Fashion Designers of America's Menswear Designer of the Year

The first perfume to be released under the Tom Ford label was Black Orchid, a women's fragrance, in 2006. This spicy and floral scent features classic and dark notes, including black truffle, ylang-ylang and dark chocolate. The resulting fragrance is sensual and luxuriant.

Other scents in the Tom Ford line include the unisex Private Blend line -- fragrances based around one primary focal point, as well as Tom Ford for men and Jasmine Rouge for women.

by: Gen Wright

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