Peter Hawkings’s Tom Ford is one of the most-awaited debuts currently in fashion.
Although the shows are still a couple of months away, there are already glimpses of how it will be one exciting—and possibly pivotal—season. Though the main driver of novelty will be the many labels introducing a new creative director, at Tom Ford that feeling of newness will be doubled. Hawkings, who in April was named to the top spot at Tom Ford after the designer sold his namesake label to Estée Lauder late last year, will be unveiling his vision in Milan, rather than New York (or Los Angeles), which Ford had made his home base.
“I am honored to have been appointed creative director of Tom Ford and to have this unique opportunity to help write the next chapter in the brand’s future,” said Hawkings in a press release. “Italian craftsmanship and excellence have been a source of inspiration for our collections, and I am delighted to be showing during Milan Fashion Week.” Though Tom Ford, the man, is an American designer—from Texas, even—and his point of view was deeply steeped in American fashion, the brand is rightfully positioning itself as a global luxury label, and decamping to a European city is an effective way to reinforce that. Fittingly, Milan is a place that has deep ties to Ford’s own personal history. (Ford and his chairman, Domenico De Sole, are reportedly staying on as advisors throughout the end of the year, helping shepherd Hawkings through his first collection.)
Interestingly, these ties extend to Hawkings’s own past too, as he began his career working at Gucci, under Ford, in 1998. Is this move a hint at what lies in the future for the new Tom Ford? Guess we’ll have to wait until September to find out.
This article was originally published on Vogue.com
