Beloved designer Haider Ackermann has been named the new creative director of Tom Ford. He will be overseeing all categories at the brand, including womenswear, menswear, and eyewear. His first collection will be unveiled at Paris Fashion Week in March 2025.
“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.
Ford, who stepped down from his eponymous brand last year, added, “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 We share many of the same historical references, and I could not be more excited to see what he does with the brand.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.”
The Colombian-French designer, who graduated from Antwerp’s famed Royal Academy of Fine Arts, recently showed off his couture chops, serving as a guest designer for Jean Paul Gaultier’s rotating couture collaboration. He has become a favorite of stars who love directional fashion, from Cate Blanchett to Tilda Swinton to Timothée Chalamet—so don’t be surprised if his future designs show up on a red carpet near you.
Véronique Hyland is ELLE’s Fashion Features Director and the author of the book Dress Code, which was selected as one of The New Yorker’s Best Books of the Year. Her writing has previously appeared in The New York Times Magazine, The New Yorker, W, New York magazine, Harper’s Bazaar, and Condé Nast Traveler.