During Ermenegildo Zegna Group’s second-quarter earnings call on Thursday, CEO Ermenegildo Zegna hinted at the upcoming appointment of a new creative director for Tom Ford.
“The man that will lead the artistic direction, the creative direction, will have a strong know-how of the women and will be able to develop the leather goods business fully,” he said.
His comments suggest that, once again, a man will take the helm of a prestigious fashion house, continuing a longstanding trend in the industry.
In October, a post from fashion publication 1 Granary was widely shared after Kering’s Alexander McQueen announced Sean McGirr as the successor of creative director Sarah Burton. It sparked public frustration over the lack of diversity in fashion leadership. Every creative director position at Kering is now held by a white man.
Other appointments of white men in the last year have included Davide Renne at Moschino and Walter Chiapponi at Blumarine. Perhaps the most recent example, Lanvin Group-owned footwear brand Sergio Rossi announced its appointment of Paul Andrew as creative director on July 24.
During the earnings call, Zegna outlined ambitious plans for Tom Ford, emphasizing the goal of building a more diversified and global luxury brand.
“Our goal is to create a much stronger, more global and more diversified luxury business,” said Zegna. “Tom Ford is a strong brand, and we can also make it a larger fashion business by topping down on women’s, strengthening day wear, and very importantly, by enforcing leather goods”.
That vision is taking shape with recent store openings in Taormina and Hangzhou, China, which are both exceeding expectations, according to Zegna. For the first half of 2024, the Ermenegildo Zegna Group reported revenues of €960 million, marking a 6% increase year-on-year.
The anticipation for a new creative director comes in the wake of Peter Hawkings’s departure, announced early this week. Hawkings had been with Tom Ford since its inception in 2005. Zegna acknowledged Hawkings’s contributions, saying, “Peter has contributed to the important initial phase of the development of Tom Ford fashion, so we thank him for that.”
As the industry waits for the announcement of Tom Ford’s new creative director, Zegna confirmed that a successor to Hawkings is imminent.
“I cannot say more than just confirm that a successor will be announced in the near future,” he said. “The choice will be somebody very strong, in particular in women’s wear. The reason why we decided to go into Tom Ford is because we felt that we wanted to strengthen that business.”
Zegna commented on the unstable state of luxury, as referenced in earnings reports throughout this week. “We are living with volatility. The volatility of the market is like a temperature — you go from 10 degrees to 40 in a matter of hours. And so we have to get used to that.”
Tom Ford’s global strategy includes significant expansion in Europe, the Middle East and Asia, leveraging its strong presence in America. Zegna emphasized efforts to bolster Tom Ford’s brand presence worldwide. “We see how interesting the Tom Ford brand development will be across the world, and it’s very strong in America, but we have a lot to do in Europe, in the Middle East and in lots of parts of Asia,” he said.
