.TomFord opens up on everything from COVID-19 and diversity to the state of his business and the future of American fashion.
So said Tom Ford in March of last year when, as the newly elected chairman of the CFDA, he discussed his plans for the CFDA.When he accepted the post, there’s no way he could have had a clue of what he was in for. He knew the American fashion industry was challenged for myriad reasons — oversaturation, a relentless schedule, a reliance on a failing wholesale model, European domination fueled by the major luxury fashion group power base.
For a good part of the summer, “fashion seemed absolutely frivolous,” and Ford found mustering creativity a struggle as he worked on his spring 2021 collection. Yet ultimately, that malaise proved fleeting. Ford is at heart a fashion believer, and true believers can have their faith shaken but seldom destroyed. He subscribes to fashion’s restorative powers, its ability to lift psyche and spirits.
Finally, the New York spring 2021 season is bifurcated, with the official calendar commencing on Sunday and running through Sept. 16, and some designers showing in October. At least one major, Michael Kors, has committed to October for the long term. Common sense dictates that a permanent two-part New York show season is not viable — at least if there’s any hope of attracting international attendance.
T.F.: I’m more hopeful. I think it may take 50 years, but we are becoming an increasingly liberal country. Sixty-something percent of Americans are liberal but because [of the Electoral College] it isn’t represented that way for the presidency. We’re becoming blended. There’s so many interracial and interfaith marriages. We’re becoming increasingly homogenized, and as that continues, I believe that our differences will begin to fade away.T.F.: I’m hopeful….That’s why we need Joe Biden.
As this started to open up, I could have two people at a time over for dinner outside. And I noticed that women came over in caftans, lipstick, a pair of sandals. Men washed their hair, put on a nice shirt, put on a pair of pants. I’d gotten really sick of looking at people on Zoom with no makeup and no hair and no effort.
This board will be responsible for deploying the cash that we raise for Black initiatives. And to report back to the [CFDA] board about what we should be doing. One of the main things we’re doing is setting up an in-house employment agency in a sense, even though we legally can’t call it an employment agency because we’re a not-for-profit. It’s a database where we will seek out young Black talent, or not-so-young Black talent, and then try to pair them with companies that are hiring.
Tracy Reese is vice chair of the CFDA’s executive board, and chair of the newly formed Black Advisory Board. Clint Spaulding/WWD T.F.: I think we’ve taken in way too many members. And at meetings, I’ve heard anger from some members who seem to think it’s the job of the CFDA to get them a million-dollar licensing deal or to work on their business plan and restore the profitability of their company. That’s not our job. Let’s remember that this was founded as a p.r. machine in the Sixties to promote American fashion around the world.
WWD: No show in February — looking ahead. But we just leapfrogged over the current season, spring 2021. You decided early on not to have a show. Why? T.F.: I don’t think the interest is there right now in fashion in the way that it usually is, whether you’re looking at Runway360 or any other online platform. I think true fashion people — everyone in my office, me, you — will look at every show that we normally would have looked at. But I don’t believe [the interest is the same].
T.F.: The CFDA is the Fashion Calendar; we organize the schedule. IMG produces certain shows. The simplistic way to think of it is that one is organizing and the other is producing, and they don’t produce every show. For example, my show, I don’t have anything to do with IMG. It’s a separate thing. I will agree with you that it’s confusing. It happened long before my time. Quite honestly, I still don’t quite understand how it happened.
Trends come from America. We dominate in the world of film, in the world of music, we dominate global culture. Often, the trends reflected by French and Italian brands are American in origin. That is an enormous contribution. T.F.: Yes. When I’ve spoken to students, I’ve always said, if there is any other job in the world that you can imagine yourself doing, then do it, because fashion is brutal. It is hard, it consumes people. If fashion is your passion, if it gives you great joy, it’s enormously rewarding. But if you’re not obsessed and if there’s something else you can think of doing, then you should do it.
WWD: Back to physical stores. You mentioned Rodeo Drive, where there have been reports of increased crime. Do you see safety concerns impacting shopping? Clothes, that’s hard. [For spring 2021,] I was able to have a couple of virtual fittings, meaning the fitting model stood there and I said, “this cuff isn’t right; it needs to be two inches. The lapel is too small; it needs to be a quarter-of-an-inch bigger.” The problem was when I needed to see the girl walk. The first thing I always say to a model is, “Can you walk for me?” I need to see the clothes walk, to see the clothes move, I need to see how they drape.
WWD: Unrelated to COVID-19 or diversity, it seems to me that in the “fashion conversation” of recent years, creativity gets short shrift relative to everything else that gets attention — marketing, celebrities, etc. What is the role of creativity in fashion today?
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Must Read: Chrissy Teigen Covers 'Marie Claire,' The Pros and Cons of Dressing PoliticiansPlus, Tom Ford talks CFDA, 2020 election and the future of fashion.
Read more »
How Tom Brady Felt About Camp Trash Talk From Bucs Defensive End - NESN.comRakeem Nunez-Rouches isn't among the NFL's best players, but the veteran defensive end apparently is an elite trash talker.
Read more »
Rival Libya sides hold talks in Morocco amid truceSolution to the country's crisis must be decided by the Libyans themselves under the auspices of the UN, Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita says, ahead of talks in Rabat city.
Read more »
Tom Brady Talks About Time, Hard Work And SuccessTampa Bay Quarterback Tom Brady on how he views time in the time of Covid-19, career obstacles, and how he came to be an IWC watch brand ambassador.
Read more »
The Vampire Diaries' Nina Dobrev and Paul Wesley Reunite for an Adorable Puppy Playdate - E! Online'Hard to teach a buncha old dawgs new tricks,' Nina Dobrev wrote alongside a photo of herself hanging out with Paul Wesley and his wife Ines de Ramon. 'PuppyPlayDate.'\r\n
Read more »
Poll: Coronavirus fatigue may be setting in as more see pandemic as economic crisisFifty-two percent of adults say the pandemic is more a health crisis in a new NBC News|SurveyMonkey poll, while 47 percent say it's more an economic crisis.
Read more »