No one ever said the replacing Tom Ford would be easy for the Tom Ford brand. But there’s near unanimous agreement that if anyone can do it, Peter Hawkings is the top choice. The new Tom Ford creative director worked in tandem with Ford for 25 years, with a focus on menswear.

Ford’s codes, “of glamour, sexiness, elegance, and beauty,” are Hawkings’ own, the designer told Vogue in advance of his September 2023 Milan Tom Ford runway debut. We note that these codes were also Tom Ford’s Gucci vision as creative director of the house from 1994 until 2004.

In the just-released Spring 2024 Tom Ford ad campaign, the visual impact is more Zegna with edge, than the runway show, which was Tom Ford sizzling on all cylinders.

For a more cohesive view of the Peter Hawkings debut strategy, AOC shared the October 2023 post-show, social media images release of Tom Ford SS2024. They are more casual and even sexier than these just-released formal campaign images.

Stars of the Tom Ford Spring 2024 campaign are Alaato Jazyper, Dara Gueye, Eva Komuves, Ilias Loopmans, and Jeanne Cadieu, lensed by Robin Galiegue [IG]. The photographer also shot Jazyper and Cadieu together for the November 2023 issue of i-D.

Tom Ford Women Dress with Intention

The Tom Ford woman always dressed not only with confidence and a mature embrace of her sensuality. She was intentional about her fashion statements and not by way of gimmicks.

As the Estee Lauder Tom Ford licensee and manufacturer of both Tom Ford women and Tom Ford men, Zegna is known for master tailoring. This Zegna priority is emphasized in the new campaign ads and is equally embraced by Peter Hawkings as creative director and the spirit of Tom Ford wafting through the design studio.

Tom Ford does not need fixing in the minds of Estee Lauder, the business tean at Zegna or Hawkings himself. In that case, who is better than Peter Hawkings to inherit the Tom Ford design mantle and not be obsessed with turning a design vision inside out to make it “his own.”

Previously Hawkings and Ford maintained mens and womens studios in different cities. Now the design units are under one roof, which will provide a more cohesive brand pov for new seasons.

One change clearly different from the Tom Ford at Gucci days is the very timely concept of gender fluidity in dressing. Will it impact design trends in the new studio? In what way?

Zegna Business Projections

Armed with knowledge of orders placed in Tom Ford merchandise, Ermenegildo Zegna announced plans this week for sales growth of 10% a year over the medium term. He intends to continue showing Tom Ford in Milan going forward, which makes perfect sense at a time when Italian luxury brands are experiencing a renaissance.

The family-owned group is bullish on delivering growth of around 20% in adjusted operating profit and a strong cash surplus in the next few years.

Zegna has ruled out further acquisitions, with Chairman and Chief Executive Gildo Zegna saying "For the time being we are focused on developing our three beautiful brands.”

Those brands are Zegna, Tom Ford Fashion and Thom Browne. It makes sense to AOC that Tom Ford can move into a top 10 spot on the list of global luxury brands, as argued by the Zegna CEO.