Haider Ackermann has been appointed the new creative director of Tom Ford, effective immediately, the company said.
The news comes just a few weeks after Peter Hawkings stepped down from the same role, which he held for just two seasons, having been with the luxury brand since its inception in 2005.
Ackermann will now oversee all Tom Ford fashion categories and guide the creative vision for the brand as a whole. His first collection will debut at Paris Fashion Week in March 2025.
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In a statement released today, brand founder Tom Ford said the following of the appointment: ‘I have long been a great fan of Haider’s work. I find both his womenswear and menswear equally compelling. 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 We share many of the same historical references, and I could not be more excited to see what he does with the brand.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.’
Ackermann was born in Colombia and raised between Ethiopia, Chad, Algeria, France and The Netherlands, before going on to study fashion at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, Belgium. After a brief stint as an intern for John Galliano, the designer launched his eponymous label in 2002. Known for its directional, minimalist aesthetic, it closed in 2020.
Over the years, Ackermann has also worked as creative director for Berluti, designed a couture collection for Jean-Paul Gaultier, and was even tipped to be Karl Lagerfeld’s successor at Chanel. This May, Ackermann joined Canada Goose to become the outerwear label’s first-ever creative director – making his Tom Ford appointment something of a surprise.
‘It is 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,’ Ackermann said in a statement. ‘I am much looking forward to what lies ahead.’ It’s safe to say that we are, too.
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Clementina Jackson is Acting Site Fashion Editor at ELLE UK, working across news and features, trends, e-commerce and SEO. She was previously Fashion Editor at Cosmopolitan and Women’s Health, and Acting Digital Fashion Editor at ELLE UK, where she was named as a PPA 30 Under 30 award winner for her work on size inclusivity. An experienced fashion, travel and luxury lifestyle journalist, Clementina has also written for Harper’s Bazaar, Vanity Fair, Condé Nast Traveller, Tatler, Red and Italy Segreta.