Fade to Black (company)

Tom Ford
Ford in September 2009
Born	Thomas Carlyle Ford (1961-08-27) August 27, 1961 (age 55) Austin, Texas, U.S.
Education	Parsons School of Design
Occupation	Fashion designer Film director Film producer Screenwriter
Spouse(s)	Richard Buckley (m. 2014)
Children	1
Labels	Gucci (1990－2004) YSL (1999－2004) Tom Ford (2004－)

Thomas Carlyle "Tom" Ford (born August 27, 1961) is an American fashion designer, film director, screenwriter and film producer. He gained fame as the creative director at Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent. In 2006, Ford launched his own "Tom Ford" label. Ford directed the films A Single Man (2009), which was Oscar-nominated, and Nocturnal Animals (2016).

Tom Ford was born on August 27, 1961, in Austin, Texas, the son of realtors Shirley Burton (née Shirley Ann Thrasher) and Thomas David Ford. He spent his early life in the suburbs of Houston, Texas, and in San Marcos, outside Austin; his family moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, when he was 11. In Santa Fe, he entered St. Michael's High School and later moved to Santa Fe Preparatory School, from which he graduated in 1979.

At age 16, he enrolled at Bard College at Simon's Rock, but quickly dropped out. He moved to New York City to study art history at New York University (NYU). Ford dropped out of NYU after a year, focusing on acting in television commercials.

Ford began studying interior architecture at The New School's art and design college, Parsons The New School for Design. While in New York, he often visited Studio 54, where he realized he was gay. The club's disco-era glamor would be a major influence on his later designs. Before his last year at New School, Ford spent a year and a half in Paris, where he worked as an intern in Chloé's press office, inspiring his interest in fashion. He spent his final year at The New School studying fashion, but graduated with a degree in architecture.