He launched his eponymous brand in 2005, having previously been the creative director at Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent.

Despite his lack of experience in fashion, Ford called American designer Cathy Hardwick every day for a month in hopes of securing a job at her sportswear company.

[22] In 1988, Ford moved to Perry Ellis,[22] where he knew both Robert McDonald, the company's president, and Marc Jacobs, its designer, socially.

"[23][24] At the time, Italian fashion house Gucci was struggling financially and was seeking to strengthen its women's ready-to-wear presence as a part of a brand overhaul.

[22] Nonetheless, Ford's work during the early 1990s was primarily behind the scenes; his contributions to Gucci were overshadowed by those of Mello, who was the company's public face.

In his first year at the helm, he introduced Halston-style velvet hipsters, skinny satin shirts and car-finish metallic patent boots.

[25] In 1995, he brought in French stylist Carine Roitfeld and photographer Mario Testino to create a series of new ad campaigns for the company.

[27] When Gucci acquired the house of Yves Saint Laurent (YSL) in 1999, Ford was named Creative Director of that label as well.

"[29] During his time as creative director for YSL, Ford nonetheless won numerous Council of Fashion Designers of America Awards.

[30] His advertising campaigns for the YSL fragrances Opium (with a red-haired Sophie Dahl naked wearing only a necklace and stiletto heels in a sexually suggestive pose)[31] and YSL M7 (with martial arts champion Samuel de Cubber in complete full-frontal nudity)[32] were controversial and provocative.

[38] First Lady Michelle Obama wore an ivory floor-length evening gown designed by Ford to Buckingham Palace in 2011.

[39][40][41] He has also dressed Beyoncé, Jennifer Lopez, Gwyneth Paltrow, Anne Hathaway, Daniel Craig, Tom Hanks, Johnny Depp, Ryan Gosling, Will Smith, Julianne Moore, Hugh Jackman, Jon Hamm, and Henry Cavill.

[42][43] Ford designed Daniel Craig's suits for his final four James Bond films: Quantum of Solace (2008), Skyfall (2012), Spectre (2015), and No Time to Die (2021).

The drama stars Colin Firth as an LA-based college professor who is gay, alongside Julianne Moore, Nicholas Hoult and Matthew Goode.

A Single Man premiered on September 11, 2009, at the 66th Venice International Film Festival, where it was nominated for top award the Golden Lion.

[69] Other nominations for the film included two further Golden Globe categories: Julianne Moore for Best Supporting Actress, and Abel Korzeniowski for Best Original Score.

[70] Ford and Scearce also received a nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay at the Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards.

Jake Gyllenhaal and Amy Adams played the lead roles of Tony and Susan,[72] and Michael Shannon, Armie Hammer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Isla Fisher co-starred.

The film has an approval rating of 72% on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 143 reviews, with an average rating of 7.1/10, and the site's critical consensus reading: "Well-acted and lovely to look at, Nocturnal Animals further underscores writer-director Tom Ford's distinctive visual and narrative skill.

"[76] Ford is openly gay, and married Richard Buckley in 2014, a journalist and former editor in chief of Vogue Hommes International; they had been in a relationship since meeting in 1986.

[80] Ford and Buckley have owned smooth fox terriers, which have appeared on the runway and in his film A Single Man.

[82] Ford constructed a 24,000-acre private tract designed by Japanese architect Tadao Ando, in Santa Fe.

[12] He has said in multiple interviews that his first lover was the late artist Ian Falconer,[86][87] who went on to write and illustrate the very popular Olivia the Pig children's book series.

He has stated that "Cancel culture inhibits design because rather than feeling free, the tendency is to start locked into a set of rules.

[109] Ford's designs convey a "sophisticated sex appeal"[110] and he has been credited for "bringing sexy back".

[119] The New York Magazine wrote "Every season, Ford created an 'It' piece, a must-have, a season-defining trend, photographed to death, knocked off ad nauseam.

[121][122] In 2004, Ford published an eponymous monograph, detailing his early career and his design work for Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent from 1990 to 2004.

Both books are published by Rizzoli International Publications and co-authored by fashion journalist Bridget Foley, with forewords by Anna Wintour.

In September 2013, hip-hop artist Jay-Z released the song "Tom Ford" as a single from his album Magna Carta Holy Grail.

In the 2021 film House of Gucci directed by Ridley Scott, Ford was portrayed by actor Reeve Carney.