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- Estée Lauder announced its acquisition of Tom Ford in a November 2022 news release.
- The deal, valued at $2.8 billion, made Ford a billionaire.
- On Wednesday, Tom Ford announced via Instagram that the Autumn/Winter 2023 collection would be the last designed by Ford.
Tom Ford announced Wednesday via Instagram that his eponymous brand's Autumn/Winter 2023 collection would be his last after 13 years designing womenswear for the fashion house.
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The move came just months after Estée Lauder and Tom Ford inked the luxury industry's biggest deal of 2022 in a $2.8 billion buyout of the American designer's eponymous brand. "I could not be happier with this acquisition as The Estée Lauder Companies is the ideal home for the brand, " Ford said when the deal was announced in November.
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Ford, who served as the creative director for Gucci after joining the company in 1990, is often credited for turning around the house of Gucci's trajectory and helping the company to go public in 1995.
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His daring designs for Gucci earned him the title "fashion's greatest provocateur," Vogue Arabia reported.
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He became the creative director of Yves Saint Laurent after it was acquired by Gucci in 1999.
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Tom Ford launched his eponymous brand in 2005.
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With the launch of his eponymous menswear brand in 2006, Ford also launched a fragrance — Black Orchid.
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The Tom Ford Beauty line — launched by Estée Lauder in 2006 — is expected to bring in $1 billion in net sales over the next few years. The French cosmetic giant's acquisition put Ford, 61, officially at billionaire status, the New York Times reported.
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Estée Lauder said it would purchase the American brand for $2.3 billion in cash and debt along with $300 million in deferred payments starting July 2025.
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His designs have been worn by many prominent figures — including former First Lady Michelle Obama on a 2011 visit with the Royal Family.
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In a foray into the movie world, Ford also wrote and directed films "A Single Man" and "Nocturnal Animals."
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According to a 2021 annual report, Tom Ford raked in a $96 million profit on $1.7 billion in sales for the year. He referred to Estée Lauder as "an extraordinary partner from the first day of my creation of the company."
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Ford's husband, fashion editor Richard Buckley, died in 2021 after 35 years together. Ford is based in Los Angeles but he and Buckley created a substantial property empire.
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