Tom Ford started his eponymous brand in 2005, after a rip-roaringly successful 10 years as the creative director at Gucci. It quickly flourished into a thriving luxury brand in its own right—and now, 13 years after releasing his first womenswear Tom Ford line, the famed designer is saying goodbye to the fashion house he brought into the world.
With no warning and little fanfare, the brand announced that their latest collection would be the last that founder Ford would ever design for the brand.
Tom Ford teased the release of its Autumn/Winter 2023 collection just hours ago, titled the Tom Ford Archive Collection, and featuring, appropriately, a selection of designer Ford’s favorite looks that he’s crafted since his first women’s line in 2010—as well as a number of the models who helped turned the Tom Ford brand into an international fashion sensation.
The brand shared a series of videos and photos shot by Steven Klein debuting the collection on their Instagram, noting quietly in the caption that it would be Ford’s final collection for his brand, and that he would be reissuing his favorite looks from the past decade-plus. The videos feature stars like Amber Valletta, Joan Smalls, Karlie Kloss, and Karen Elson, each wearing famous Tom Ford looks that made a splash upon their initial release, and Ford appears in the videos too, watching the pieces go by.
Ford’s 2010 return made headline news across the fashion world with his first women’s show in six years. He tried to make it a big one, with only Terry Richardson permitted to photograph it and featuring top models Farida Khelfa, Emmanuelle Seigner, and Lauren Hutton as well as A-list celebrities like Beyoncé and Julianne Moore walking the runway. Amber Valletta and Joan Smalls, featured in this year’s Archive collection, were also models in that very first womenswear show.
Rumors have swirled that Ford might be exiting the brand ever since its sale to Estée Lauder in a $2.8 billion deal last November, and now all that remains to be seen is who will take his place at the brand once he departs. This final collection is a celebration of Ford’s vision that made the brand what it is today, and while it may have been his last Tom Ford collection, we hope it’s not the last clothing line we see from the legendary designer.
