Hot on the heels of Tom Ford’s surprise Fall 2023 womenswear collection, which paid tribute to his career with re-editions of classics looks from past collections, the Tom Ford brand has appointed new leadership: Guillaume Jesel is its new president and CEO Peter Hawkings is now the creative director.
As Fashionista reports, it’s been a whirlwind year for the company. Tom Ford, the American designer who founded his eponymous label in 2005, sold it to the Estée Lauder Companies Inc. in November 2022 in a deal valued at $2.8 billion. Per a press release, Jesel and Hawkings “will work together to ensure a consistent and cohesive image across all products, brand communication and retail.”
Before ascending to the CEO role, Jesel spent nearly a decade as Tom Ford Beauty’s global president and was “instrumental in shaping the luxury beauty sector,” according to The Estée Lauder Companies President and CEO Fabrizio Freda. On the creative side, Hawkings worked alongside Ford for nearly 25 years. He is coming to the creative director position after most recently serving as senior vice president of the label’s menswear
“Peter began working with me 25 years ago as a menswear design assistant at Gucci and rapidly worked his way up to become the senior men’s designer at the company when he left to join me at the Tom Ford brand,” Ford said of Hawkings. “Peter has been instrumental in the success of the brand. He is an incredibly talented leader with tremendous industry experience.”
“[Estée Lauder Companies] has been a great partner and Guillaume is an exceptional leader, with not only a strong business understanding of beauty, but a great understanding of fashion as well,” Ford said in a press release.
Ford himself and chairperson Domenico De Sole will serve as brand advisors through the end of 2023. The Zegna Group, which will manufacture, distribute and operate retail for Tom Ford fashion and accessories, has also appointed a CEO of Tom Ford Fashion, which it expects to announce in July.
“I have worked closely with Zegna for more than 30 years, first at Gucci, then at Yves Saint Laurent…” Ford noted. “There was simply no other partner that we would have turned to, to produce high quality fashion products and a flawless retail experience.”
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