Tom Ford

Livia Firth, Tom Ford, and Cate Blanchett
“I started this prize three years ago with a harrowing fear that the world our children would inherit would no longer be a liveable one,” says Tom Ford about the Green Carpet Fashion Awards (GCFA), which he co-founded with his friend Livia Firth, Vogue Arabia’s sustainability editor-at-large, and her consultancy Eco-Age. “I wanted to be a part of the solution, not be an arbiter of the problem.” At the March awards, held for the first time in Los Angeles after previous events in Milan, Ford paid tribute to a number of global changemakers working to put sustainability and ethical production at the heart of the fashion and creative industries. Setting the awards in Hollywood made clear the symbiotic relationship between fashion and film, and the profound impact these two powerhouse systems can have on moving an eco-agenda forward.
Livia Firth and Annie Lennox
The GCFA is a global event that has become a symbol of sustainability in the fashion industry, inspiring others to take action and create positive change. It is also known for its high-profile attendees, including celebrities, fashion designers and leaders, and sustainability advocates. The latest edition saw Cate Blanchett, Naomi Campbell, Alicia Silverstone, Jerry Hall, Georgia May Jagger, Leonardo DiCaprio, Heidi Klum, and Jodie Turner-Smith walk the carpet at NeueHouse in West Hollywood. Blanchett – one of the co-chairs of this year’s event – donned a mint green custom Valentino suit made from deadstock and archival fabrics, while Turner-Smith rewore a Gucci gown, and Silverstone dressed in a vegan leather coat.
Brazil’s minister for indigenous people Sônia Guajajara, seen center
The honorees at this year’s event come from an array of backgrounds and industries, all with one common goal: working towards finding more equitable and sustainable solutions to help save the planet and drive progress. Ford himself was honored with the visionary award for his groundbreaking US $1.2 million Tom Ford Plastic Innovation Prize, which seeks to find biodegradable alternatives to ubiquitous plastic bags. Oscar-winning actor and environmentalist DiCaprio presented Brazil’s minister for indigenous people Sônia Guajajara with the healer award for her work in protecting forests and placing indigenous people central in the global climate agenda. “Although the task ahead is undoubtedly daunting – in Minister Guajajara’s words, ‘The fight for Mother Earth is the mother of all fights’ – her strong leadership position coupled with her commitment and tenacity fills me with boundless hope,” DiCaprio said onstage. Gucci received the futurist award for its work in constantly disrupting the fashion industry, while Gabriela Hearst was honored with the sage award for her work in reshaping the industry.
Receiving the rebel award was Eric Liedtke, co-founder of Unless Collective, for his efforts in bringing together innovators, engineers, artists, and activists to help solve over-production and waste in fashion. For her continuous vegan activism, Silverstone was presented with the integrity honor, while Turner-Smith handed Vogue UK editor-in-chief Edward Enninful the game changer award for his role in uplifting minority voices and championing diversity in the sometimes all-too-insular world of fashion. The messenger award went to Andreas Kronthaler, creative director of Vivienne Westwood, for his 25-year career in championing Westwood’s legacy.
Edward Enninful and Naomi Campbell
The GCFA also shone a spotlight on the next generation of leaders. “Passing the microphone to young activists is one of the most important things that we can do right now,” says Firth. “This is not us giving our blessing; we recognize young activists are the driving force of empowerment. We owe them a debt and heavy recognition.” As such, singer, songwriter, and humanitarian Annie Lennox lauded 14 young women leaders working in fields as diverse as environmental action, civil rights, equality, and global feminism. “It encourages and inspires me so much to see a new generation of brilliant young women rising up to address solutions to the countless challenges facing women and girls everywhere,” Lennox commented.
Honorees received a brooch in the shape of a dandelion, which was designed by creative director Stefan Beckman in partnership with jewelry designer Shilpa Yarlagadda. Made from recycled silver, the brooch features a single diamond from Lucara Botswana, an ethical mine in the diamond-rich southern African country – and the only one with a female managing director. The dandelion design was chosen for two dynamic reasons: as a symbol of how change needs to spread through the world, and a reminder that progress can take root in many places, even if they seem unlikely.
Trudie Styler, Tom Ford, and Jerry Hall
Originally published in the April 2023 issue of Vogue Arabia
Read Next: Women in Fashion: Livia Firth Underscores the Empowering Work of Designer Gabriela Hearst

For the last five years HBO’s “Succession” has resonated with fans for its witty dialogue, dysfunctional family relationships and finely curated wardrobe that has helped popularize a niche trend within minimalist fashion. And along the way it’s fueled demand for many of those understated products.
The hit TV show, which is airing new episodes of its final season on Sundays, has become one of the prime examples of the “stealth wealth” fashion phenomenon, one that Fashion Institute of Technology professor Cathleen Sheehan explained has been around long before “Succession” debuted. 

“It’s things that are understated and polished,” Sheehan said. “They’re not saying, ‘look at me,’ but it’s more like, ‘look a little closer in order to really see what’s going on.’ You have to study it. It’s like when you’re sitting in a waiting room or on an airplane and you find yourself studying someone and looking closer at their sweater or shoes. It’s the care and the materials, and if you’re in the fashion business, you might recognize some of the pieces.” 

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Sheehan explained “stealth wealth” can be seen as an extension of previous minimalist fashion trends like ‘90s minimalism or the normcore of the 2010s. But “stealth wealth” is unique in its emphasis on quality and discretion. 

This has been seen on many of the characters in “Succession,” which focuses on the dysfunctional relationships among patriarch Logan Roy (played by Brian Cox), who helms the international media conglomerate Waystar Royco, and his children, who are fighting for leadership of the company. 

For the last three seasons, fans have come to expect the characters to be dressed in nondescript clothing, such as blank baseball caps, cashmere sweaters and neutral-colored suits that rarely jump off the screen. For superfans of the show, the logo-less clothing has become an Easter egg-style game of determining the brand behind the styles, which are typically luxury brands like Loro Piana, Brunello Cucinelli, Tom Ford, Paul Stuart, Ralph Lauren and others.

A still from “Succession” season four.

Courtesy of HBO

“We did our research of the Rupert Murdochs, Sumner Redstones and Jeff Bezos of the world,” said Jonathan Schwartz, the assistant costume designer on “Succession.” “We don’t follow necessarily what they are wearing. We follow who the character is and where they would shop. Whereas Roman might be shopping more downtown, Tom would be shopping on Madison Avenue. It fits into this overall theme of billionaires because they’re definitely going to those high-priced stores, but it’s really the character that dictates the types of clothing they would wear.” 

Or the items that wannabe billionaires want to buy. There have been numerous articles over the last five years of how “Succession” has helped fuel demand for certain luxury items — from Loro Piana’s baseball cap to its white-soled shoes. Both can cost in the hundreds of dollars but often have sold out at retail after a “Succession” character wears them.

Over the four seasons, Schwartz noted that Kendall Roy (played by Jeremy Strong) has had the biggest style evolution, which was meant to reflect the changes in his character. The character started off the show in corporate-style suits and has since evolved to more casual, yet pricey leather and suede jackets and streetwear sneakers. The character’s casual style still plays into “stealth wealth” as his clothing is typically from Loro Piana, Tom Ford or Gucci.

Schwartz stated that besides Kendall Roy, the show’s characters have had little evolution style-wise in the four seasons, which perhaps reflects a larger message.

“The funny thing about this show is even in the characters, nobody changes,” he said. “In writing, people are supposed to change and transform. That’s the funny thing about ‘Succession.’ They start off as bastards and they end up unchanged from that.” 

Schwartz thinks the show’s costumes have worked because of their authenticity to the characters and how they don’t distract from the dialogue.

The show’s season four premiere episode seemingly addressed the characters’ inclination to “stealth wealth” when Nicholas Braun’s character (who is referred to as cousin Greg) brings a date to Logan Roy’s birthday party who accessorizes her look with what character Tom Wambsgans described as a “ludicrously capacious bag.” The bag in question was the Burberry Title Vintage Check Tote Bag, which despite a high price tag of $2,890, doesn’t fit in with the logo-free aesthetic prominent in “stealth wealth.”

It’s another example of viewers’ eagerness to “find the label.” After the episode aired, Google searches for the Burberry bag skyrocketed.

Both Schwartz and Sheehan believe the show’s costumes and “stealth wealth” have appealed to the masses for their aspirational quality. Sheehan also noted “stealth wealth” can be seen as an extension of the pandemic-influenced fashion trend of paring down wardrobes and investing in better quality pieces.

“It’s aspirational because they’re wearing Loro Piana sweaters that most of us might not be able to afford,” she said. “It’s a classic black turtleneck, but you have to study it and see why it looks good, what it is about it, so it’s aspirational. There’s something interesting about that that it feels like a shift from ‘look at me’ fashion to look a little closer.” 

Beauty giant Estée Lauder Cos Inc. has purchased luxury American fashion, cosmetics and fragrance brand Tom Ford. The deal sees Tom Ford himself remaining as the brand’s creative director until the end of 2023, when the newly-minted billionaire plans to move on. Already responsible for the license for Tom Ford Beauty, overseeing the distribution and management of the designer’s luxury fragrances and makeup – a profitable collection which saw an almost 25 percent net sales growth in a combined Q1 and Q2 this year. The deal ensures that Estée Lauder will completely acquire the well-performing Tom Ford Beauty, as well as add a fully-fledged fashion house to its portfolio for the first time, a move that experts say mimics similar moves made by other major luxury groups.
Gigi Hadid for Tom Ford SS19
First prominent as the boundary-pushing creative director for Gucci, then Yves Saint Laurent, Ford opened his eponymous fashion house in 2005. Tom Ford Beauty first launched in 2008 with the iconic Black Orchid EDP, a spicy floral created by David Appel and Pierre Negrin. Released the following year, the brand’s Private Blend collection cemented Tom Ford Beauty as a chic and sexy companion to Ford’s sultry fashion aesthetic. Color cosmetics followed in 2011, with a skincare line named Tom Ford Research launching in 2019.
While Tom Ford Beauty is predicted to continue its upwards success, Estée Lauder has seen multiple beauty brands in its stable close recently. Female-founded brands Rodin Olio Russo and Becca Cosmetics both shuttered in the last two years. Its designer fragrances division which holds the licenses for Donna Karan, DKNY, Michael Kors, and Tommy Hilfiger will be closed in June 2023, leaving the brands to seek new agreements elsewhere.

For years, RtA, which stands for Road to Awe, has been a brand that adopted a Los Angeles, California, rocker aesthetic for its men’s and women’s collections.
Think urban rock ‘n’ roll with an edgy vibe, rooted in dark colors.  

But during the pandemic, cofounder and chief executive officer David Rimokh took stock of his L.A.-based label and decided it was time to update and elevate what the nine-year-old company had to offer.

“The pandemic hit us really hard as a company, and it gave me the opportunity to self-reflect and see where the next direction of RtA was going to go,” said Rimokh, who bought out his minority partner, Eli Azran, at the beginning of this year. “I felt our aesthetic was kind of rooted in the past and never evolved. I felt the rocker and the grunge look was being emulated in the market.”

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For his next chapter, Rimokh is ready to embrace a customer who wants a cool and comfortable look with some edge. “We want that sophistication. We want to elevate,” the executive said.

To elevate his men’s and women’s collections, Rimokh recently hired Robert Liptak as the brand’s new creative director. Liptak had been working as the senior women’s ready-to-wear designer at Tom Ford since 2019, and joined RtA in June.

“I feel that RtA has a very unique position where it is a streetwear brand, but it has that elevated edge. We have to push it a little more,” said the new creative director, who has patternmaking and tailoring skills he would like to apply to the new RtA collection.

Liptak wants to make sure there is a certain easiness to dressing incorporated into the collection with a sense of construction. He will introduce more fabrics, such as satin, silk and slinky jersey, for the womenswear collection. Colors will be more neutral with beige, dark browns and blacks to focus on different silhouettes.

Liptak also wants to introduce evening styles to the collection. “It is not going to be extreme couture, but something that is going to be easy to put together to go out for a beautiful dinner,” Liptak said.

The brand will shift more sourcing from Asia to Europe, primarily Italy and Portugal, and raise prices by about 20 percent to 25 percent. Currently, the RtA’s clothing collection retails from about $325 to $1,695.

The pre-fall 2023 collection debuts in early December and will be sold at the brand’s online site and its three stores in L.A., New York and Las Vegas, Nevada. It will also be available at Ssense.com, Fwrd.com and saks.com.  

Eventually, the company will be adding footwear and handbags, designed by Liptak.

Lori Harvey elevated a denim-on-denim look on July 1 while attending the Essence Festival of Culture in New Orleans. The 25-year-old model wore a cropped Saint Laurent distressed denim jacket paired with men’s A.P.C. destroyed indigo jeans, which featured flecked bleach, grass-like stains and vintage-inspired fading.
To accompany the outfit, Harvey carried an Hermès Kelly burgundy crocodile handbag, which coordinated with her matching Tom Ford crocodile leather stiletto sandals. The heels included a gold padlock accent on the ankle strap, which matched the shoe’s 4-inch gold spike heels.

Lori Harvey attends the 2022 Essence Festival of Culture on July 1 in New Orleans.
Getty Images for Essence

The star wore her shoulder-grazing locks down in a straight style, centering her makeup around gently blushed cheeks and a glossy lip. To add to the low-key look, Harvey wore a satin magenta bandana wrapped around her head.

Harvey spoke on a panel about finding wealth, power and success as a Black woman. During her career Harvey has modeled in campaigns for Michael Kors, Valentino, Burberry and Dolce & Gabbana; she also recently founded her SKN by LH skin care brand. After the program, the entrepreneur enjoyed the festival’s musical acts, watching headliner Nicki Minaj perform.

Lori Harvey speaks onstage during the 2022 Essence Festival of Culture on July 1 in New Orleans.
Getty Images for Essence

Photo: Alexi Hay
In his first book, TOM FORD 001, Tom Ford charted his era defining work at Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent from 1994 to 2004, capturing the hedonism of the decade in the process. Now, in a companion volume out this month, a sober and vegan Ford looks back on the many lives that he has lived since then: as a husband and a father, and as a creative visionary who brought his style to the world of the movies as a lauded director, and subsequently managed a powerful fashion and beauty comeback with his eponymous brand.
I spoke to Ford about what Karl Lagerfeld taught him, how it feels being name-checked in a Jay Z song, and much more.
Tom Ford: It’s an honor to have you.
Hamish Bowles: Oh, stop. The honor is all mine, as you know.
TF: How are you?
HB: I am okay. I’m okay. How are you?
TF: Oh, I’m alright. I have good days and bad days. It’s better when I’m working because then I’m not thinking about everything. You know what it’s like.
HB: Well, it’s certainly been an exhilarating lift going through the book, I have to say.
TF: Thank you. Well, Richard [Buckley, Ford’s late husband] said, when I showed it to him was—very dry—he said, “Well, it’s a lot of water under the bridge.” Then he turns and walked out of the room. Only one comment about the book.
HB: It’s intriguing because I suppose in many ways, of course, it’s a counterpart to the first book from 2004, which was such a cataclysmic year for you. You walked away from the Gucci Group. Looking back at the first one, what do you think of it?
TF: I wanted to continue it and I wanted to continue the same chronological format. I think fashion moves in a chronological way with each season as a reaction to the season before and a reaction to where you are as a designer at that moment. Where you’re living, what you’re doing, what your experiences are. So, that one really is the first chapter, and this is the second chapter, and I long to have a third chapter. I was turning 60 and my company was around 15 years old when I started the book. Fifteen years and turning 60—it was time to look back. The most interesting thing about it is that in fashion we rarely look back. We’re always worried about what are we going to do next? And now what am I going to do? I haven’t seen A Single Man since I made it. I looked at it a gazillion times while editing it, and I went through all its premieres and that was it. I haven’t seen it since. And same with Nocturnal Animals and fashion. I rarely look back. Because looking at family pictures you immediately go, “Oh god, yes I remember. I remember what I was. I remember what I did. I remember what I was thinking. I remember music. I remember this show. I remember what city I was living in.” And so it was cathartic in that way and very odd that Richard decided to leave the world at the same time. Really in so many ways, now personally as well, it was the end of the chapter and the end of a period in my life.
Tom Ford and Madonna at the after party for A Single Man, 2009. Photo: Getty
HB: Yes. Looking back at the period this book covers, were there any surprises for you? Any takeaways?
TF: Yeah, I guess I was pleasantly surprised at how much work I had done. How did I actually, you know, do menswear, womenswear, build stores all over the world, create a cosmetics business? You work and you work and you work. It made me feel good. I actually have built a brand. This was something I wanted to do and I did it and achieved it. It made me feel good.
HB: How have you managed to be so productive?
TF: I don’t sleep. I enjoy working. I don’t actually know what I would do without working. It fuels everything. I think I’m often the best when I’m working on multiple things at the same time because I’m excited about one thing that I’m doing and that spills over onto everything else because I’m happy. That excitement fuels over and I feel more creative, but it is weird because it also makes you realize how fast it all goes. I do wish I had more time to sit at a cafe and have an omelet mixte and a Coca Light you know, so it’ll be interesting to see what I do now. But honestly I’m seeing it through the lens of having just lost Richard, and now it takes on a different meaning.
HB: I think with the first book there was a very strong sense of the legacy you had created at Gucci and Saint Laurent. Looking back at that phase of your career and your first book, how do you see that and contemplate that now at this distance?
TF: The reason why I wanted to do that at the time was, yes, Gucci and Saint Laurent existed way before I went there, but in the case of Gucci, there really were not runway shows before I went. And there really were not complete collections. I say in the book that you get to give the world your taste once. And it’s true. I made my case at Gucci and then later at Saint Laurent. So I wanted to take that with me when I left and I wanted to put my name on it.
HB: What was your mindset in 2004 when you finished the book?
TF: When I left [the Gucci Group] I was incredibly depressed because I thought I was going to retire, and then I realized very quickly that I didn’t like not having a voice in contemporary culture. I wasn’t happy because I wasn’t fulfilling any creative side in my life, which is what pulled me back into the fashion world. It moves at a pace which for someone like me who is mercurial in their moods, well, I suppose I’m very well suited for fashion because it moves so fast and it’s so constant. And I really missed that. I don’t know if that really answers your question.
HB: Now you’re vegan? Is that right?
TF: I’ve been vegan for about four years, but lately I’ve been eating a little bit of fish every now and then. And yeah I don’t drink, I don’t smoke, I don’t do drugs. I drink caffeine, I play tennis, I take care of my son. And it’s a very different life; it sounds very dull, but I don’t know. I have no desire to have a drink whatsoever. It’s very interesting. Absolutely none. So I don’t miss any of that. The vegan thing came because I watched a movie What the Health? and once a year I go to this place where I fast for five to seven days and I was doing that and watched that film and somehow thought, you know, I don’t need to eat meat anymore so I stopped.
HB: Wow. So, of course, Book 2 investigates your career and life as a director. How did that come about?
TF: I always wanted to make movies. I’ve always loved film. There’s a kind of story that you can tell in film, that you cannot tell in fashion. You can look back at something and you can admire it and say, wow, wasn’t that incredible? But it still doesn’t have the rush that it did the very first time you saw it. The very first time you saw it on the runway. The very first time you saw it on a woman or man. That rush will never be recreated, whereas in film it can be. You know if there’s an old film you haven’t seen, it’s a new film. Because you’re experiencing it in the way that the director wanted you to. The actors. The performances. It’s alive. I feel it’s a much more permanent expression of whatever it is you are trying to say. So I’ve always wanted to make films and I bought our house in Los Angeles in the mid ’90s, because I realized, well I’ve always liked LA and I have a certain history here, but I also knew that I was going to do this one day, and I didn’t want people to think it was completely ludicrous, which, as I also say in the book, they did, which I didn’t realize, until I’d already made a movie and everyone said, “Oh my god, we thought you were ridiculous.”
HB: Did they say that?
TF: Oh yeah. People interviewing me at the time said, “Oh we thought that it was a joke,” and, you know, that you’d never make a movie. I think people were sort of surprised that I was able to make a film. I was only surprised that they didn’t realize that if I said I could, I could. How could you doubt me because when I say I’m going to do something, I’m going to do it. That was my surprise—that they were surprised. Fashion is great, I love fashion. But my greatest achievement will have been making A Single Man. I love Nocturnal Animals, but A Single Man was extremely personal. At the time I said and I still believe it, if Jack [Ford’s son], when he grows up and wants to know anything about me at age 48, all he has to do is watch that movie and everything in it. I grafted my character onto the character of George and it is so personal. And being able to express that was the most fun I’ve ever had and the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done. And I’d like to make more of them and god knows when I’ll squeeze them in with everything else I do. But I’d like to make more movies.
HB: Do you think it’s the fact that they are so uniquely personal that you’ve resisted an urge to watch them again or do you think you might?
TF: No, I feel like it was an expression and I got it out of my system. I did it, I said it, onto the next. I remember Karl [Lagerfeld] always saying that he didn’t look back, that he always looked forward. And I remember thinking that that was silly. How could someone not look back? But now I realize that I’ve done it. And Karl also said something else to me. I was having dinner with him one night and I was probably 38 and I had had initial success. Well, I was having a lot of success at Gucci, let’s say, and I was having dinner with Karl at Caviar Kaspia. It was just the two of us and I said, it’s so weird because all these things are happening. My career is taking off and people are telling me how great things are. And I just can’t feel it. I can’t feel it. I don’t believe it. I don’t feel anything. And he said, “You will later, you will later.” Which kind of went against what he said about not looking back. But it’s true. Because later I felt like, oh wow, how did I do that? How did this happen? And I appreciate it more in retrospect. And that’s what this book did for my time after Gucci. It made me look at it all again and think to myself, whether one likes what I do or doesn’t like what I do, Wow! Okay, well, I really built an entire brand. We really make all these things and, you know, Jay Z wrote a song about me and wow! Okay! But it isn’t something that I think about all the time. I mean right now I think, what am I going to do for my show in February? That’s what I’m thinking about.
Tom Ford and Karl Lagerfeld in 2010. Photo: Getty
HB: I have to say looking back at your Tom Ford fashion life, it was so exciting seeing the images from the September 2010 presentation, which I don’t recall ever seeing runway images of. We were forbidden to take pictures, I think, and that seems so surreal today.
TF: You were, and I don’t know that anyone ever understood why I forbade those images. I was under the misguided impression that the women I wanted to dress didn’t want their clothes seen in magazines five months before they could actually wear them. That they wanted them to feel fresh. And that I wanted the customer to be excited when they saw them for the first time. I was so wrong. Women for some reason need to see things to kind of give them the confidence to wear it or let their eyes adjust to what the new silhouette is. Looking back at it, why it was a great show, why the room worked, the vibe worked… You couldn’t walk away from it saying, ‘Tom Ford believes in this,’ because at the time I wanted to make clothes for all different kinds of individual women. In the way that a tailor makes clothes for men. I wanted to make clothes to dress women of different ages, different sizes, different tastes, and that’s what I did. But ultimately what you ended up with was a room full of a lot of different clothes that didn’t have one precise message of, ‘I believe in this kind of pant shape and that kind of jacket shape and these kinds of colors.’ So, I’m not going to say that the show was a failure, because that show worked. It took me a while to go back to presenting a unified vision on a runway, but I ultimately found that is what works the best.
HB: You’ve always managed to kind of tap into a zeitgeist and capture a moment. How do those instincts work for you?
TF: You know, this is so hard to say, but, you know, it’s real. I have a customer and I have developed a look and so my look does not change that much from season to season. And fashion has changed dramatically. But you can’t fake it, you can’t design things that you don’t believe in, and that you don’t feel. And so I don’t. Yes, I am intuitive, but I will never be part of this generation that has grown up in a virtual world. And I can’t try. And I don’t want to try. So I just have to be true to myself. Luckily, a lot of young people seem to have latched onto the kind of things that I did at Gucci and the kinds of things that I did at Saint Laurent. And the kind of things that I still do. So I am lucky in that I still have customers 25 years old who are coming into my shop. I also still have the customers I had at Gucci, coming in and they are my age or older.
HB: Looking at the book, what would you say you are proudest of?
Well. Proud would be sort of the book in its entirety. One of things that happened to me is the Jay Z song. I mean that is surreal, to see thousands of people chant or shout your name, it’s strange. You feel very detached from it, like who is this person they’re shouting out? And it’s just strange. Still, I can’t even really believe that happened. And by the way, you know a lot of people who have never heard of me, knew my name after that. And that is just an amazing thing. I’ve always been so lucky. Doors open in life and you have to know when to seize an opportunity. I’ve been so incredibly lucky and things have always kind of fallen in place at the right time. So. As Richard said, “It’s a lot of water under the bridge.” Which I think was his way of saying a lot of time has passed, and indeed it has.
Richard Buckey and Tom Ford. Photo: Simon Perry
The new book is available for preorder at Tom Ford stores or TomFord.com and via Rizzoli.

Animal print — a trend that emerges stronger than ever just when you think it is no longer around — is making a bold return for summer. Spotted all over the 2021 spring/summer runways, from zebra prints at Bottega Veneta and leopard prints at Tom Ford, the pattern holds plenty of style potential. Unconvinced? Take a look at Egyptian actor Yasmine Sabri’s leopard print maxi dress which made a strong case for the trend taking stars and It-girls by storm.
Wearing the pattern is all about the colors and the way the pieces are styled. While minimalists can add a statement patterned accessory to elevate their outfits, maximalists can go big by mixing and matching different prints. As it crops up nearly every season, it’s safe to say that animal prints are an investment and fashion risk all in one. If Sabri’s holiday look has inspired you, scroll through our edit of 10 animal print dresses you can embrace the trend in.
Read Next: 10 Sustainable and Size-Inclusive Swimsuits to Feel Good in This Summer

NEW YORK — Much is in flux as the Delta variant takes hold in different regions of the world, but that hasn’t deterred the Council of Fashion Designers of America from revealing plans to hold its annual awards gala in-person in early November.
The extravaganza is slated for Nov. 10 at The Pool and The Grill in the Seagram Building on Park Avenue. The gathering will be a return to an IRL bash following last year’s CFDA Fashion Awards, which were held digitally via the CFDA’s Runway360 platform.
Steven Kolb, the CFDA’s chief executive officer, said: “This is an important moment in American fashion. There is much excitement about the return of New York City and New York Fashion Week, as well as the top caliber of diverse talent making their mark on the city and the global fashion landscape. The awards are CFDA’s biggest fundraiser of the year supporting our scholarship program, and we look forward to our industry coming together, in person again, to celebrate the very best of American creativity.”

The 2021 CFDA Fashion Awards will take place in accordance with the Centers for Disease Control and New York state health guidelines.
Barring any new health and safety mandates by federal, state or local authorities, this fall is shaping up to being a busy one for the fashion industry. The CFDA in partnership with IMG recently released the official New York Fashion Week schedule as part of the American Collections Calendar. After two seasons of predominantly digital shows, in-person ones are expected to be held from Sept. 8 to 12. In total, 91 shows and presentations from American and international designers are planned.

Like the CFDA’s Fashion Awards, The Met Gala is going to be a scaled-down version. Scheduled for Sept. 13, it will run on the heels of NYFW. Five days later on Sept. 18, The Met’s Costume Institute will unveil “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion,” which will be the first of a two-part exploration of fashion in the U.S.
The Fashion Group International has also marked another date on the fall calendar. The organization plans to stage its annual “Night of Stars” awards event in-person for the first time in two years. It is scheduled for Oct. 13 at Cipriani South Street, a historic Beaux Arts building with ample outdoor space for social distancing.
The CFDA’s venue of choice is a historic one. Built in 1959 and restored in 2016, the Seagram Building is one of 117 interior landmarks in New York City. Esteemed architect Philip Johnson first did the honors and more recently Annabelle Selldorf freshened up Johnson’s designs with a spruced-up lighting system by Hervé Descottes of L’Observatoire International.
Without question, the CFDA Awards will be more intimate than in years past. In June 2019, the awards were held at the Brooklyn Museum of Art. The group has also used more spacious venues like Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center. The Pool Room can accommodate 200 seated, 180 with dancing and The Grill can accommodate 120 seated, and 250 reception style, according to the venue’s site. The Pool is familiar territory to CFDA chairman Tom Ford, who staged a celebrity-studded fashion show there for his namesake label in 2016. Ford also designed the uniforms that are worn by The Pool’s wait staff.

Have the CFDA and IMG forged a truce?
In an about-face, the Council of Fashion Designers of America in partnership with IMG released the Official New York Fashion Week Schedule as part of the American Collections Calendar.
The shows, which will run Sept. 8 to 12, celebrate the reopening of New York City with in-person shows after two seasons of predominantly digital presentations. In total, there are plans to hold 91 shows and presentations from American and international designers.
The CFDA owns and manages the Fashion Calendar, including the Official NYFW Calendar under the American Collections Calendar. IMG is the official organizer and operator of NYFW’s event and official central hub, NYFW: The Shows, which will take place mainly at Spring Studios, along with other locations.

Historically, CFDA and IMG, which have different functions, have released separate show calendars for NYFW, although several designers would appear on both. IMG has previously added extra days to what CFDA has considered the “official” show dates — all contributing to a confusing show week. While both organizations would frequently reiterate they were working together, there always appeared to be a divide and observers wondered, which organization is really in charge of New York Fashion Week?
But this season, the CFDA and IMG said they are working “hand in hand” to organize it.

“CFDA and IMG always worked in tandem on the official schedule to make sure that shows and presentations were aligned,” said Steven Kolb, chief executive officer of the CFDA. “With this season’s return of in-person shows and the anticipation and excitement around New York Fashion Week, it was imperative, more than ever, to have a clear and cohesive schedule, which is why we strengthened our collaboration and are releasing a unified, official NYFW schedule.”
NYFW kicks off with Ulla Johnson on Sept. 8 at 9 a.m. and closes with Tom Ford on Sept. 12 at 8 p.m. Other highlights include the return to New York City of Thom Browne and Altuzarra, as well as anniversary collections from Carolina Herrera and Rachel Comey. The schedule also features Michael Kors, Gabriela Hearst, Tory Burch, Anna Sui, Oscar de la Renta, 3.1 Phillip Lim, Sergio Hudson, Adam Lippes, Tanya Taylor, Maryam Nassir Zadeh, Monse, Coach, Proenza Schouler, Rodarte, Brandon Maxwell, Zero Maria Cornejo, Markarian, Telfar, Khaite, Staud, Jason Wu, Jonathan Simkhai, Dennis Basso, Kevan Hall, Cinq a Sept, Cynthia Rowley, Veronica Beard, Victor Glemaud and Rebecca Minkoff.
CFDA said it is welcoming  international  designers such as Moschino by Jeremy Scott, Peter Dundas of Dundas and Peter Do to the NYFW schedule. Additional highlights include 2021 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund finalists Hanifa, Willy Chavarria, LaQuan Smith, Eckhaus Latta, KHIRY, Batsheva, Theophilio, Studio 189, House of Aama, and Kenneth Nicholson, and New York Men’s Day.
As reported, NYFW will feature the launch of the IMG Fashion Alliance, which is supporting 11 American designers showing during NYFW for the next three seasons at Spring Studios. Those are Telfar, Rodarte, Proenza Schouler, Altuzarra, Brandon Maxwell, Prabal Gurung, Sergio Hudson, Monse, Jason Wu, LaQuan Smith and Markarian.

By working together, the organizations look to strengthen and reaffirm New York as a global fashion capital with a shared vision in promoting creativity and commerce, they said. Their increased tie-up comes as the industry aims to celebrate American fashion in September with the return of IRL shows as well as the new exhibit at the Costume Institute, “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion,” which will bow with the Met Gala on Sept. 13, the day after Ford’s show. He will be an honorary chair along with Anna Wintour and Adam Mosseri, while Billie Eilish, Amanda Gorman, Timothée Chalamet and Naomi Osaka will be the co-chairs.
“New York Fashion Week is back with a diverse lineup representative of the future of American fashion,” said Kolb. “Our fashion industry has come together as we continue to emerge from the pandemic, and a collaborative spirit is paramount to the success of our creative talents. Working in tandem with IMG has enabled us to present a singular official New York Fashion Week schedule of shows and presentations within the American Collections Calendar.”

Steven Kolb 

Leslie Russo, president of IMG’s Fashion Events and Properties, said, “As we look forward to this September season, we are proud to come together with the CFDA to support the revitalization of New York Fashion Week. It’s time to rebuild, and only together can we ensure New York remains the flourishing fashion capital that it is.”

Leslie Russo 
courtesy shot.

The American Collections Calendar was created as CFDA’s response to support designers who show collections outside traditional market week dates. That includes the Christian Siriano and Harlem’s Fashion Row runway shows that will be held Sept. 7.
The shows and presentations will continue to be presented via Runway360, CFDA’s centralized digital hub and business tool to support American fashion brands year-round, especially during New York’s women’s, men’s, pre-collections and bridal markets with their domestic and international businesses and global exposure. Runway360 is in partnership with American Express.
The in-person shows will take place in accordance with New York State Health Guidelines and the CFDA will advise designers and show producers on best practices through an expanded health, wellness and diversity memo.

Asked about the synergies they expect to accomplish by working together, Kolb told WWD: “Both CFDA and IMG work closely with fashion creatives across the American fashion industry, and through our collaboration, we can firmly put the focus on the talent and creativity of our designers who are showing  during the week.” He said the CFDA and IMG are working more closely and collaboratively than ever on the organization of NYFW “to give a spotlight to designers in the American fashion market on the global stage.”
As to whether the seminars and events surrounding New York Fashion Week will be jointly sponsored, Russo said NYFW: The Shows’ expanded calendar will be released later this summer that will include additional designers, digital releases, programming and special events beyond the shows and is organized by IMG.
Kolb noted that the relationship is ongoing and they look forward to evolving it in seasons to come.
Discussing whether they sat down together to figure out the calendar and whether there were people from both organizations assigned to the task, Kolb said: “CFDA and IMG have always operated that way, but have never really discussed this publicly. We align on the scheduling of shows to make sure there are no major conflicts in timing and location and that the week runs as seamlessly as possible.”
Asked what they anticipate some of the challenges will be, Kolb said: “There is always the challenge of managing over 100 designers, locations, hair/makeup teams, model conflicts and more — this requires all stakeholders to collaborate, and this season we have the American fashion industry come together even more than ever for the greater success of NYFW.”
Kolb noted that with their joint efforts, CFDA won’t be getting involved with production, and Kolb and Russo confirmed there will be no revenue-sharing. “IMG Focus is our in-house production company for NYFW: The Shows and produces the central hub, programming, special events and fashion shows,” said Russo. “There has been an incredible interest in live events this season, our stronger partnership with the CFDA is just one of the IMG initiatives that is rebuilding a stronger NYFW.” Russo noted that NYFW: The Shows new presenting partner is Afterpay, and they will have several new partners they will reveal closer to the event.

Industry consultant Fern Mallis reacted favorably to the news of the two organizations working more closely together.
“If the CFDA wants to play a leading role there should be one calendar,” said Mallis, who was the executive director of the CFDA and created 7th on Sixth, which produced the fashion shows and was sold to IMG in 2001. “All the entities should work together for a common goal. There’s no reason they shouldn’t be supporting one another.”
Kolb said that he’s excited that NYFW: The Shows will host at Spring Studios, and noted that there are designers who will choose to present their collections in other venues as well.
As reported, the Fifth Avenue Association plans to host runway shows and events at 608 Fifth Avenue in September. The three-story venue will be transformed into a runway, presentation and activation space for designers and brands.

A view of 608 Fifth Avenue. 
Daniel Rey Lozano

In other news, the CFDA said it has renewed Tom Ford’s contract as chairman of the CFDA for another one-year term. When Ford assumed the role in 2019, he said he would commit to a two-year term. He wasn’t available for comment on his yearlong extension.

Tom Ford 
Courtesy of Tom Ford

Ford’s tenure has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. With a key focus being diversity, Ford’s first move was to secure the election to the CFDA board of four people of color: Virgil Abloh, Maria Cornejo, Carly Cushnie and Kerby Jean-Raymond. The CFDA responded to the COVID-19 crisis by launching A Common Thread campaign, a fundraising and storytelling initiative spearheaded by Vogue and in collaboration with the CFDA. Ford also promoted the CFDA’s former chief financial officer CaSandra Diggs to the post of president, hired Bonnie Morrison as director of equity, growth and  engagement and established the Black Advisory Board, chaired by Tracy Reese, the CFDA’s vice chair.
Ford also renamed New York Fashion Week Calendar the American Collections Calendar. With a growing number of American designers showing their collections later in the season and sometimes outside of New York, either that be in Europe, Asia or other key markets, Ford decided that the CFDA should include all American designers within the calendar and on Runway360, its digital platform.

Ironically, when Ford got the job he was asked in September 2019 about IMG’s move to jump-start the show calendar by two days, when CFDA was trying to condense the schedule. “This was new to me,” Ford said of the extent of those shows deemed by the CFDA as “off-calendar.” “I’m like, ‘IMG — who? What? Well, I’m glad to know this because I will have to take them on next season.…But yes, the point of trying to do five days is trying to do five days.”

To view the official New York Fashion Week Schedule:
American-Collections-Calendar_SS-2022_07.23.2021

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CFDA’s Impact Platform to Support and Nurture Black Talent

Tom Ford and 52HZ, a strategy and creative agency that helps nongovernmental organizations, brands and people change the world, said today the Tom Ford Plastic Innovation Prize is now accepting submissions from inventors, entrepreneurs and those invested in the fight against plastic pollution to accelerate meaningful innovation around a replacement for thin-film plastic.
The Tom Ford Plastic Innovation Prize is the only competition focused exclusively on material science innovation to encourage the creative development and adoption of affordable and scalable alternatives to thin-film plastic.
The two-year competition, followed by three years of support for competition finalists, offers a prize purse total of $1.2 million. The prize aims to offer dedicated support to help finalists reach scale and market adoption by 2025, creating an inflection point in the fight against plastic pollution.

“Thin-film plastic enters our lives for a minute, yet continues on as waste, never truly disappearing,” said Dr. Dune Ives, chief executive officer of Lonely Whale, which recently launched 52HZ. “The origin story of plastic starts with an innovation prize and the solution to the plastic crisis can be found in the tale of its creation. As a campaign organization capable of catalyzing global change on a massive scale, the Tom Ford Plastic Innovation Prize is an opportunity to create another new beginning and promote solutions commensurate with the plastic pollution problem.”

Lonely Whale was founded by Adrian Grenier and Lucy Sumner in 2015. Lonely Whale’s campaigns have reached more than one billion readers, listens and viewers through activations, social and traditional media.
Today, thin-film plastic comprises 46 percent of the about 11 million metric tons of plastic that leaks into the ocean annually, a figure that’s expected to nearly triple to 29 million metric tons by 2040. Just two products — single-use resealable sandwich storage bags and plastic poly bags used by the fashion industry — represent more than 300 billion thin-film plastic bags disposed of annually. The Tom Ford prize will enable competition finalists to bring biologically degradable thin-film plastic alternatives to market, so the ocean does not continue to pay the price of these products.

Thin-film plastic accounts for 46 percent of all ocean plastic leakage. 

“Sustainability is a key critical issue in our lives now,” said Tom Ford. “Plastic pollution is taking one of the greatest tools on our environment and thin-film plastic makes up 46 percent of all plastic waste entering our ocean. We will continue to advocate for the adoption of the winning innovations and will do whatever we can to turn the tide of plastic pollution and thin-film plastic specifically. We need to work towards finding a solution before it’s too late to save our environment.”
Ford, who in addition to being a designer and chairman of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, is an award-winning screenwriter, producer and film director.
A panel or industry-leading judges, led by Ford, will vet and stress-test submission to ensure they have a positive impact on the environment, and they are also scalable and market-ready by 2025. The Tom Ford Plastic Innovation Prize Investment Alliance will be chaired by investor Matt Grossman.

Judges include Andrew Forrest AO, founder and chairman of Fortescue Metals Group and Minderoo Foundation; Audrey Choi, chief marketing officer and chief sustainability officer at Morgan Stanley; Danni Washington, science communicator and founder of The Big Blue & You, honorary doctor of science; Don Cheadle, actor and filmmaker; Livia Firth, founder and creative director of Eco-Age; Melati Wijsen, activist and founder of Youthopia and Bye Bye Plastic Bags; Saskia van Gendt, head of sustainability at Rothy’s; Stella McCartney; Susan Rockefeller, documentary filmmaker and founder of Musings Magazine; Tom Szaky, founder and CEO of TerraCycle, and True Styler, actress, film producer and director.
Judges will work with a panel of scientific and technical experts from fields such as materials science, ocean health and product development, such as Dr. Ramani Narayan, university distinguished professor at Michigan State University in the department of chemical engineering and materials science. To ensure that the thin-film alternatives sourced through the prize are capable of solving the impact on the ocean, the prize evaluation criteria includes a comprehensive set of lab and field testing analyses conducted in partnership with the Bioseniatic Laboratory at the UGA New Materials Institute.
Submissions to the Tom Ford Plastic Innovation Prize are open today through Oct. 24. Information is available at plasticprize.org.

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