On March 5, 2025, at the Pavillon Vendôme in Paris, the silence leading up to the Fashion Week shows was unlike any other. For the first time since the brand was acquired by The Estée Lauder Companies for an enterprise value of $2.8 billion, the Tom Ford aesthetic was changing hands. After a year of transition under the leadership of Peter Hawkings, the founder’s longtime right-hand man, Haider Ackermann took the creative helm to present the Fall/Winter 2025–2026 collection. The appointment of the French designer, made official on September 4, 2024, marked the beginning of an era in which the unapologetic glamour of the 1990s gave way to a more introspective approach to seduction. As Haider Ackermann himself put it: “He is the nightlife; I am the morning after—that’s where our dance begins.”
Transatlantic Governance for a New York Legacy
The management structure underpinning this new creative direction reflects the complexity of the contemporary luxury market. Haider Ackermann, though based in Paris, operates at the heart of a three-way partnership. On one side is The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (ELC), which has owned the brand and its intellectual property since 2023 following a net investment of approximately $2.3 billion (net of the $250 million paid by Marcolin SpA). On the other, the Italian group Ermenegildo Zegna, which operates the fashion license under the leadership of Lelio Gavazza. Rounding out this structure, the eyewear license remains in the hands of Marcolin SpA.
In this context, Ackermann reports directly to Guillaume Jesel, President and CEO of Tom Ford and Luxury Business Development at ELC, as well as to Lelio Gavazza. His mission is broad: to oversee all product categories, from men’s and women’s ready-to-wear to accessories, including eyewear. This creative centralization aims to stabilize the brand’s identity following Tom Ford’s departure and Peter Hawkings’ brief tenure (May 2023–July 2024), while capitalizing on Ackermann’s international stature.
The Architecture of Clothing: Haider Ackermann’s Journey
The choice of Haider Ackermann is no accident. Born in Bogotá in 1971 and trained at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, the designer possesses a visual culture shaped by a nomadic childhood spent in Colombia, Ethiopia, Chad, Algeria, the Netherlands, and Belgium. This rich geographical background has shaped a signature style where European precision meets a more organic fluidity. Before joining Tom Ford, he had already made a lasting impression with his own brand, launched in 2001, his notable stint at Berluti between 2016 and 2018, and a memorable collaboration as a guest designer for Jean Paul Gaultier’s Haute Couture collection in the spring of 2023.
Tom Ford himself has been full of praise for his successor, highlighting the modernity of his tailored cuts and his talent as a colorist. For the founder, whose support has been public, Ackermann’s arrival is a sign of continuity in excellence. Ackermann, who was also named Canada Goose’s first global creative director in May 2024, brings to Tom Ford the ability to work with fabrics in a sensual way that avoids overtness, preferring suggestion over overt display.
From nocturnal glamour to the intimacy of the morning after
Tom Ford’s legacy, forged during his years at Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent before launching his own brand, is rooted in explicit sex appeal—a nocturnal, ultra-polished, and provocative aesthetic. Haider Ackermann, while respecting these codes, offers a shift in focus. Where Ford celebrated the conquest and glamour of high-society soirées, Ackermann explores a “morning-after” aesthetic. This aesthetic shift was evident at the March 5, 2025, runway show through a tension between architectural precision and fluid, carefree ease.
The Fall/Winter 2025–2026 collection featured defined shoulders and sharply tailored double-breasted suits—cornerstones of the Tom Ford wardrobe—but juxtaposed them with more vulnerable elements. The collection featured low-rise pants hanging below the hip line, playful use of sheer fabrics, and visible lingerie integrated into daywear. These technical cuts and draping techniques, typical of Ackermann’s style, transform the brand’s historic provocation into a contemplative sensuality. It is an intimate wardrobe on full display, where poetic androgyny replaces the binary glamour of previous decades.
Financial Implications and Future Expansion
While retail prices for this new era had not been disclosed at the time of the fashion shows, commercial expectations are commensurate with Estée Lauder’s massive investment. The acquisition, finalized in 2023, represented a significant sum for the cosmetics group, justifying a comprehensive and consistent brand strategy. Following the presentation of the inaugural collection in Paris, the schedule has already been set for the coming seasons: the Spring/Summer 2026 collection will be unveiled in October 2025, followed by the Fall/Winter 2026/2027 collection in March 2026.
By shifting its creative center of gravity to Paris while retaining its Italian production infrastructure and American intellectual property, the House of Tom Ford is attempting a cultural synthesis. The success of this relaunch hinges on Ackermann’s ability to maintain this “dance” between his own aesthetic—often described as poetic and fluid—and the demands for sharpness and visual impact that made Tom Ford’s name. The handover now appears complete—not through an abrupt break, but through an evolution of the very definition of allure in contemporary luxury.