Tom Ford

People are buying into your dream...To create that world sucks the soul and personality out of a designer. The Gucci stores look like my house. My sofas are in all the Gucci stores all over the world." -- Tom Ford in Time

Maurizio Gucci wanted to fire Tom Ford in the early '90s because he thought the young designer was too trendy.

But Ford stuck around around and became Creative Director of Gucci in '94. His first collection was a tremendous commercial and critical success and managed to turn around the company with a huge jump in profits and hip following.

In 2000 Ford assumed the title of Creative Director of Yves Saint Laurent as well.

Vital stats:

Honors: Three CFDA awards, including Menswear and Womenswear Designer of the Year ('96), International Designer of the Year ('96), Womenswear ('99)

Education: Parsons School of Design

Born: 1961

Started in the business: Started working on the creative staff of Cathy Hardwick in 1986; joined Gucci in '90.

Known for: Strong, sexy designs

What you might not know about him

-He was born in Texas, but raised in Santa Fe.

-He's a target for icon-bashing: Imitation of Christ's famous shirt says "Bring me the head of Tom Ford" Miuccia Prada's husband says "Tom Ford is not a real designer, he is just good at marketing. He’s not like Karl Lagerfeld, who wakes up in the morning and sketches a dress." (Vogue UK)

-Ford's reply to the snipes that he's too commercial: "Commercial? Commercial is a compliment. It means it looks great and people want it." (Time)

The customer he designs for: Urban men and women

Notable quote: On the 2001 Academy Awards: "I am sick of the stylists." Their prettifying efforts, he said, made the stars "look like they're doing a guest spot on 'Friends.' " - LA Times

Famous clients

Just about everyone you can think of including Sting, Tom Hanks, Helen Hunt, Jennifer Lopez.

How you can get the look:

-Gucci Fall '01 looks combine hard and soft: sheer babydolls and leather with zippers. Mix soft materials and silhouettes with tougher, more structured pieces for the same effect.

-Go with the ultimate urban palette: black and white.

-The look is usually long and lean: fitted jackets, sleek tops, slim pants.

Address of the House of Gucci:

Gucci

Via Tornabuoni 73/r, 50100 Florence.

Tel: +39-55-7921,

Fax: +39-55-7592305

Guccio Window

The Patriarch of the House of Gucci

Guccio Gucci (1881-1953) was the son of a Florentine craftsman and founded the House of Gucci as a saddlery shop in 1906 in Florence. For unknown reasons, he moved to Paris and then London where he worked as the Maitre d'Hotel at the Savoy. In 1920, when he was 39 years old, Guccio Gucci moved back to Italy.

With a capital of only 30,000 lira, he opened the first Gucci Shop which would be the beginning of a big business empire. After WWII, the firm was named Guccio Gucci srl, keeping that name until his death in 1953. In 1982, the firm was renamed Guccio Gucci spA.

Guccio's first success was due to his leather craftmaship. His original clientele consisted during the 1920s were horseback riders whom he sold accessories. As his clientele became more sophisticated, so was his product lines. Later, he would sell luxury luggage which during in its heyday were equivalent to France's Louie Vuitton.

Guccio fathered four sons - Aldo, Ugo, Vasco and Rodolfo. It was them who expanded the firm and opened new shops in Florence, Rome and Milan. It was after World War II when the characteristic double G motif was first introduced. In 1953, Guccio's son Aldo and Rodolfo opened the first overseas Gucci shop in New York, the year that Guccio died.

It was during the 1950s when the Gucci classics were created: the handbag withthe bamboo handle; the mocassin with the distinctive Gucci snaffle-bit; the foulards: the belt clasps; the ties. New shops were opened in London, Palm Beach, Paris, Beverly Hills and Tokyo.

The 1960s proved to be very kind to the House of Gucci, with the Gucci brand considered to be one of the status symbols of the times. But, with the success of their stores came clashes among family members. This was documented in tabloids and newspapers all over the world. By 1989, Maurizio Gucci became President of the Gucci Group.

Bad press and court litigations took its toll on the House of Gucci. By 1993, Maurizio Gucci stepped down and sold his shares to Investcorp, an Arab multinational. Dawn Mello was Design/Creative Director from 1990-1991 and Tom Ford took over her position in 1994. Under the helm of Tom Ford, the House of Gucci became the chicest of chic once again.

Not since Karl Lagerfeld took over Chanel has there been such a stunning comeback story as that of Gucci under Tom Ford. Prior to his appointment as creative director in 1994, the house had been mired in tabloid muck, hobbled by mismanagement and on the verge of bankruptcy. Family members feuded or were thrown in jail for tax evasion. The scandals reached soap opera proportions in March, 1998 with the contract murder of Gucci's last male heir, Maurizio Gucci, by his ex-wife.

Hot-blooded in-fighting has always been part of the Gucci heritage. Its founder, Guccio Gucci, the son of a Florentine craftsman, left his native Italy at a young age over a sibling quarrel. He went to Paris then London, where he became maitre d'hôte at the Savoy Hotel. There, surrounded by the steamer trunks and hat-boxes of the Savoy's blue-blooded clientele, Gucci first conceived of the idea of opening a luxury leather goods business.

Gucci returned to Florence and opened his first shop in 1920. The leather goods and equestrian accessories were such a success among the cosmopolitan set that Gucci expanded into the United States in 1953. The house became synonymous with wealth and quiet ostentation in the '50s and '60s, attracting clients like Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn, and Jackie Kennedy. Certain accessories became classics -- the bamboo-handled handbag, flowered scarf, and the moccasins, for example -- all adorned with the famous red-and-green-striped logo.

By the 1980s, however, Gucci had nearly exhausted its prestigious name through over-licensing and family squabbling. In 1993, Investcorp, an Arab investment group, seized control, and put half of Gucci¼s stock on the market, effectively ending family control.

In 1994, Gucci axed most of its staff and promoted a 36-year old studio assistant named Tom Ford to the position of creative director. A native of Santa Fe, Ford had studied at New York University before dropping out to act in television commercials. He later enrolled at the Parsons School of Design in New York and Paris to study interior and fashion design. He spent the late '80s working for designers Cathy Hardwick and Perry Ellis, before joining the Gucci team in 1990.

Tom Ford overhauled Gucci's fusty image by marketing decadence and sensuality to an AIDS-conscious society that had "forgotten about sex". Velvet hipster trousers expressed the '90s ambivalent ethic of sexual containment: androgynous, sensual to the touch, for people who want to feel and look sexy for themselves, as well as -- or perhaps instead of -- for others. Metallic leather stilettos sharpened our image, giving us an aggressive stance while bruising our feet. White jersey dresses with tactically positioned oval cut-outs quoted Halston and the sex-spree days of Studio 54. And nothing, apparently, is sexier than money: Ford's leather thongs embedded with scarlet-sequinned "G"s over the hip bone came with a hefty 2000-franc price tag.

The consummate middleman between business and creative design, Ford knows the object is not to sell an outfit but an entire mood. Which is why he uses subtly outré ad campaigns: the "ménage à trois" subtext of model Amber Valletta and two men; and the vaguely lesbian atmosphere of Gucci-clad women coolly contemplating each other. He has also popularized the practice of "editing" collections: defining each season with only one or two dominant "looks" that identify the label.

The rest of the story is stock. The house parlayed its ready-to-wear success into 11 licenses, causing its share prices to skyrocket in 1996. But Gucci seems to have sailed into troubled financial waters lately with stock prices tumbling following the Asian economic meltdown. Another intriguing development has come from the rival Milanese house Prada, which purchased 9,5% of Gucci's stock in July, 1998 and appears poised for more aggressive corporate raiding. Will Gucci's success -- so potent in the '90s -- run out with this millennium? That remains to be seen.

House of Gucci

Under the King of Cool

Tom Ford The King of Cool Gucci's Creative Director is the industry's current IT Boy. Under his direction, Gucci was revitalized and its profits doubled within two years.

"In the fashion business, everything is so temporary," says Tom Ford. "Beautiful for two or three months, and then you're tired of it." Luckily, the 35 year old, 5'10 designer who rivals his clients with his looks maintains a sense of humor in his own place in the cycle.

When Tom Ford took over the helm of Gucci two years ago, this Texas native revitalized and set new directions for an aging, almost tired label of the 1980s. He changed the image of Gucci from the drab and dark green signature color to a brighter, more 90s look of chrome and white.

The new look of Gucci is streamlined, bright, young and vibrant. Plush industrial carpeting (two terms that are actually incongruent) was used in the boutique.

Divided into two distinct categories: men's and women's, both areas are subdivided for ready-to-wear, shoes and belts, and accessories.

Plush and modern furniture, fresh flowers, sparse surroundings - are the adjectives to use for Gucci's new look.

Minimalism is exercised to its outmost, and yet, customers feel invited, and encouraged to handle the merchandise.

The men's section, is smaller than the women's section, yet it exudes the same vibrancy and richness. Fresh flowers dominate the setting, softening the harshness of the lines which is predominant in men's boutiques.

Chairs are provided for customers for lounging, and in this case, for trying out shoes. Efficient sales clerks assist customers, although this is an open sell area.

Famous for its leather goods, the handbag section is located in front, and has a prominent place in the boutique.

Like the other sections, customers are encouraged to handle the merchandise with an open sell look and they still get assistance from the ever well-trained sales staff.

Gucci, is the hottest designer label right now. Tom Ford has rightfully earned his title, The King of Cool.

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