Haider Ackermann is the new creative director of Tom Ford
French-Colombian designer Haider Ackermann will make his debut at Tom Ford for A/W 2025, replacing Peter Hawkings, who left the brand earlier this year
Weeks after Peter Hawkings announced his departure from Tom Ford after just two seasons, the brand – which was acquired by Estée Lauder for a price of 2.8 billion dollars in 2022 – has announced his successor, Colombia-born French designer Haider Ackermann.
Though he has collaborated with both Canada Goose and Jean Paul Gaultier in recent years, the appointment marks something of a return to fashion for Ackermann, whose eponymous label held its last runway show during the A/W 2020 season. He also was briefly creative director of Berluti from 2016 to 2017.
‘It’s with tremendous pride that I will seek to honour the legacy of Tom Ford, a man I have long admired and have the utmost respect for,’ the designer said in a statement.
‘I have long been a great fan of Haider’s work. I find both his womenswear and menswear equally compelling,’ adds Ford. ‘He is an incredible colourist, his tailoring is sharp, and above all he is modern. We share many of the same historical references, and I could not be more excited to see what he does with the brand. I suspect that I will be the first on my feet to applaud after his show in March.’
Indeed, Ackermann’s insouciant, sensually charged vision of glamour – which often employed cut-outs to reveal the line of the model’s body – certainly has plenty in common with Tom Ford’s own designs, before he exited the label to pursue film projects in 2023. Both also drew inspiration from Yves Saint Laurent, where Ford was creative director in the early 2000s.
That said, Ackermann, who studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp – the birthplace of the Antwerp Six – has a more avant-garde approach to design, oftentimes achieved through unexpected pattern-cutting and offbeat use of colour. His longtime muse is Tilda Swinton; it will be intriguing to see how she will fit into the Tom Ford world.
Tom Ford will not show during the upcoming S/S 2025 fashion week, which begins in New York on Friday (6 September), with Ackermann instead making his debut during the A/W 2025 shows in February.
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
A post shared by TOM FORD (@tomford)
A photo posted by on
Jack Moss is the Fashion Features Editor at Wallpaper*, joining the team in 2022. Having previously been the digital features editor at AnOther and digital editor at 10 and 10 Men magazines, he has also contributed to titles including i-D, Dazed, 10 Magazine, Mr Porter’s The Journal and more, while also featuring in Dazed: 32 Years Confused: The Covers, published by Rizzoli. He is particularly interested in the moments when fashion intersects with other creative disciplines – notably art and design – as well as championing a new generation of international talent and reporting from international fashion weeks. Across his career, he has interviewed the fashion industry’s leading figures, including Rick Owens, Pieter Mulier, Jonathan Anderson, Grace Wales Bonner, Christian Lacroix, Kate Moss and Manolo Blahnik.
-
Discothèque perfumes evoke the scent of Tokyo in the year 2000
As Discothèque gets ready to launch its first perfume collection, Mary Cleary catches up with the brand’s founders
By Mary Cleary Published
-
This unassuming London house is a radical rethinking of the suburban home
Station Lodge by architect Andrei Saltykov in South West London offers a radical subversion to regional residential architecture
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Explore 100 years of Svenskt Tenn and the interiors Estrid Ericson has crafted
‘A Philosophy of Home’ explores 100 years of Svenskt Tenn and the daring vision for interiors its founder Estrid Ericson developed
By Diana Budds Published
-
The best waterproof make-up for hot weather, as recommended by the Wallpaper* Beauty Editor
Waterproof make-up products from an immovable Chanel eyeliner to a smear-safe Dior lipstick, recommended by Wallpaper’s Beauty Editor Hannah Tindle
By Hannah Tindle Published
-
A/W 2024 beauty moments from the runways, as selected by Wallpaper*
We recap stand-out A/W 2024 beauty moments from the runways, including JW Anderson, Chanel, Hermès, and more
By Hannah Tindle Published
-
Year in review: top 10 beauty and grooming features of 2023, selected by Wallpaper’s Hannah Tindle
Our top 10 beauty and grooming features of 2023 span from Prada’s make-up debut to Japanese hair styling and the secrets of Björk’s nail artist
By Hannah Tindle Published
-
Glitter: five sophisticated ways to wear the make-up texture on your face, hair and body
These glitter make-up products exude an aura of sophistication, including Guido Palau’s Zara Beauty collection, Chanel’s Coco Mademoiselle lotion, and Giorgio Armani’s eye tint
By Hannah Tindle Published
-
How Tom Ford changed the beauty industry
As Tom Ford steps down from his eponymous beauty brand, we pay tribute to his contribution to the industry
By Mary Cleary Published
-
After a final collection, Tom Ford’s next chapter
Having shown a final collection for his eponymous brand, Tom Ford is set to leave fashion and focus on film. Meanwhile, Peter Hawkings, a longtime designer for the brand, will take the helm
By Jack Moss Published
-
Tom Ford Q&A
By Jack Moss Last updated