Peter Hawkings has stepped down as Tom Ford’s creative director, the company confirmed, less than a year after his debut for the New York-based fashion house.
Hawkings, a British designer who worked at the brand since its inception in 2005, took the top job last April after its founder and namesake Tom Ford sold the company in a multi-billion-dollar deal to cosmetics giant Estée Lauder and exited himself. (As part of the arrangement, Italian suiting company Ermenegildo Zegna Group now produces Tom Ford’s clothing line.)
During his short stint as creative director, Hawkins paid homage to Ford’s signature brand of high-octane glamour, echoing the hedonistic maximalist minimalism that defined his era at Gucci in the 90s and shot him to fashion fame.
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Following the news of Hawkins’ departure, executives from both companies thanked him for his leadership over the past year.
‘I would like to express my gratitude to Peter for his exceptional contributions to Tom Ford from the very beginning,’ Guillaume Jesel, president and chief executive at Tom Ford, said in a statement. ‘Along with his team, Peter has contributed to this important initial phase of development. I wish him all the best in his next chapter,’ added Lelio Gavazza, CEO of Tom Ford Fashion at Ermenegildo Zegna Group.
The shake-up comes hot on the heels of a string of high-profile exits at some of fashion’s biggest labels. In March, Pier Paolo Piccioli exited Valentino after 25 years, succeeded by former Gucci designer Alessandro Michele. That same week, Dries van Noten announced he was exiting his namesake label, hosting his swansong show in Paris last month.
Most recently, Chanel artistic director Virginie Viard — one of the few female creative directors at the helm of a big luxury brand, who was handpicked by Karl Lagerfeld to succeed him — left the French brand. Her successor has still not been named.
Along with Dries Van Noten and Chanel, Givenchy is still without a creative director, after Matthew Williams’ exit at the start of the year. Now, Hawkins’ exit adds another job to the list of vacancies.
Tom Ford won’t hold a show to present its SS25 collection, the brand said, adding that Hawkins’ successor is due to be announced in the near future.
