Tom Ford Biography

Tom Ford• Tom Ford was born in Texas in 1962

• He studied interior architecture at Parsons School of Design until 1986
• By 1999 he had made Gucci worth $4.3 billion (£2.2). "We didn't even have a photocopier at one stage," he admits. "We didn't have any paper"
• In 2000, Ford was named Best International Designer at the first VH1/Vogue Awards in New York
• After Gucci bought a controlling stake in Yves Saint Laurent, Ford was appointed creative director and communications director of YSL's ready-to-wear business, while continuing to design for Gucci
• In April 2004, Ford parted company with the Gucci group after he and ceo Domenico de Sole, who is credited as Ford's partner in the success story that is Gucci, failed to agree with PPR bosses over creative control of the Group
• He subsequently launched his fashion empire, Tom Ford - first with menswear, beauty, eyewear, and then both men's and women's accessories