The untold story from House of Gucci: how Tom Ford saved Gucci from bankruptcy and revamped Yves Saint Laurent, then left to start his own fashion brand
- From Madonna’s bedazzled trousers to Jennifer Lopez’s sparkly dress and Charlize Theron’s Oscar look, Ford is responsible for many iconic Gucci red carpet outfits
- Today, Ford is a millionaire who creates coveted fashion and beauty products – but remember when he pushed limits in the mid 90s with notoriously NSFW campaigns?
A celebrated name in the fashion industry today, Ford actually began his illustrious career at Gucci. And while the film didn’t heavily feature him, in real life, the fashion brand has him to thank for saving them from bankruptcy in the 90s and transforming Gucci into the tour de force brand it is today.
Here’s how he did it …
He said no to leather goods
The Florence-based fashion house was founded in 1921 by Guccio Gucci, who rose to fame selling artisanal leather goods, handbags and accessories. In the 80s, with family feuds on the horizon, Maurizio Gucci and Dawn Mellow (Gucci’s creative director at the time) hired the then-up-and-coming American designer Tom Ford from Texas to oversee its women’s ready-to-wear collection and to help revamp the fashion house.
During the early days of his career, Ford stayed away from the brand’s famed leather goods and scarves and introduced his own vision for the maison.
First of everything
The Parsons School of Design graduate first worked in Perry Ellis before relocating to Europe to work for Gucci in 1990. In 1996, he said to The New York Times, “If I was ever going to become a good designer, I had to leave America. My own culture was inhibiting me. Too much style in America is tacky.”
After his stint in designing women’s ready-to-wear, Ford undertook menswear and shoes six months later.
