The Estée Lauder Companies (“ELC”) acquired the TOM FORD brand today in a transformational deal that establishes the company as the sole owner of the TOM FORD brand and all its intellectual property. The stewardship of the brand by ELC and the new leaders announced today, and through its licenses with the Zegna Group for fashion and accessories, and Marcolin Group for eyewear, provides continuity and allows for the further evolution of the TOM FORD brand as one of the preeminent global luxury brands of the twenty-first century. The Zegna Group acquired operations of the TOM FORD fashion business (“TOM FORD FASHION”) necessary to perform its obligations as a licensee of ELC.
Tom Ford and Domenico De Sole will continue to serve as brand advisors through the end of calendar 2023. About the new leadership appointments, Tom Ford said, “I could not be happier with the acquisition of the TOM FORD brand by The Estée Lauder Companies. The team there has been a great partner and Guillaume is an exceptional leader, with not only a strong business understanding of beauty, but a great understanding of fashion as well.
“I am also pleased that the Zegna Group will continue to manufacture and distribute TOM FORD fashion and accessories, and operate retail for TOM FORD FASHION. I have worked closely with Zegna for more than 30 years, first at Gucci, then at Yves Saint Laurent. When contemplating the creation of the TOM FORD brand there was simply no other partner that we would have turned to, to produce high quality fashion products and a flawless retail experience.
“Marcolin has been an excellent partner in producing and distributing TF eyewear since the inception of the brand and I have enjoyed close collaboration with Maurizio Marcolin and his talented team for many years now.
“These companies, under the brand stewardship of The Estée Lauder Companies, provide me with confidence that the TOM FORD brand will continue to be something that I will be proud of for many years to come.”
Domenico De Sole said, "I am delighted with this acquisition. We have had a long-standing partnership between the TOM FORD brand and The Estée Lauder Companies dating from the brand’s inception, as well as a close relationship with Gildo Zegna and the Zegna Group over the past 30 years. Given our long and successful histories together, I am certain that the two companies, together, will carry on the legacy that Tom and I have built over the past 18 years. I am grateful to Tom for his magnificent vision and leadership, and I thank our amazingly talented TOM FORD team for their dedication to and hard work for the brand."
GUILLAUME JESEL NAMED PRESIDENT AND CEO, TOM FORD AND LUXURY BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, THE ESTÉE LAUDER COMPANIES
Guillaume Jesel brings nearly a decade of successful brand leadership of TOM FORD BEAUTY to his new executive leadership position at the TOM FORD brand. As President and CEO of TOM FORD, Guillaume will have oversight across all verticals and set a holistic luxury strategy for the brand. Guillaume will report to ELC executive leaders Jane Hertzmark Hudis, Executive Group President, and Tracey T. Travis, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.
“Guillaume has been instrumental in shaping the luxury beauty sector of our business. His ability to articulate the TOM FORD brand has resulted in TOM FORD BEAUTY achieving remarkable global success, making him ideally suited to lead the TOM FORD brand into its exciting future,” said Fabrizio Freda, President and Chief Executive Officer, The Estée Lauder Companies.
Under Guillaume’s tenured leadership at TOM FORD BEAUTY, where he worked directly with Tom Ford and his team, the brand spearheaded iconic innovation and strategically expanded its global reach, firmly establishing TOM FORD BEAUTY as a powerhouse in luxury beauty. Since 2014 when Guillaume started with TOM FORD BEAUTY, he has led the brand to achieve strong net sales growth on a compound annual basis and significantly improved ranking in global prestige fragrance and makeup, respectively.
PETER HAWKINGS APPOINTED CREATIVE DIRECTOR, TOM FORD
Peter Hawkings has been working alongside Tom Ford for nearly twenty-five years, most recently as Senior Vice President of TOM FORD Menswear. In his ascension to Creative Director, Peter will succeed Tom Ford with respect to his responsibilities as Creative Director of Fashion, including womenswear, menswear and accessory categories, assuming the role of lead designer for the fashion segment and fashion shows.
Peter will be responsible for upholding the TOM FORD brand’s vision, ensuring consistency of creative direction and decisions across all fashion categories and ushering the TOM FORD brand into its next chapter. He will report directly to Guillaume and matrix report to the CEO of TOM FORD FASHION.
“In Peter Hawkings the brand has found the perfect Creative Director,” said Tom Ford. “Peter began working with me 25 years ago as a menswear design assistant at Gucci and rapidly worked his way up to become the senior men’s designer at the company when he left to join me at the TOM FORD brand. Since the creation of TOM FORD menswear, Peter has been instrumental in the success of the brand. He is an incredibly talented leader with tremendous industry experience, and his appointment gives me confidence that my commitment to creating fashion products with the highest level of design and quality will continue.”
Peter began his career in 1998 at Gucci under the helm of Tom Ford and worked closely with him on the development of the highly successful Gucci menswear collections. Peter left Gucci in 2006 to join Tom Ford in the launch of his eponymous brand where he was charged with overseeing the design and production of all categories of TOM FORD menswear including tailoring, sportswear, leather goods, and accessories.
“Peter is one of the world’s most accomplished menswear designers. His design experience working under Tom Ford is unparalleled and his commitment to quality is relentless,” said Guillaume. “There is no one more perfectly suited than Peter to carry the founder’s legendary creative vision into the future.”
TOM FORD FASHION LEADERSHIP
The CEO of TOM FORD FASHION has been appointed and is expected to be announced in July and assume the role in the third quarter of calendar 2023. The leader will be responsible for the end-to-end TOM FORD FASHION business from collection development, to merchandising, through to production as well as retail and wholesale distribution.
Ermenegildo “Gildo” Zegna, CEO of Ermenegildo Zegna Group said, “We are delighted to appoint a strong leader for TOM FORD FASHION and look forward to leveraging the leader’s luxury business acumen and international experience to further grow the TOM FORD FASHION business globally. I am thrilled about the opportunities that this transaction brings to all of us as we continue the journey started by Tom and Domenico whom we congratulate for their remarkable achievements.”
About The Estée Lauder Companies Inc.
The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. is one of the world’s leading manufacturers, marketers, and sellers of quality skin care, makeup, fragrance, and hair care products, and is a steward of outstanding luxury and prestige brands globally. The company’s products are sold in approximately 150 countries and territories under brand names including: Estée Lauder, Aramis, Clinique, Lab Series, Origins, M·A·C, La Mer, Bobbi Brown Cosmetics, Aveda, Jo Malone London, Bumble and bumble, Darphin Paris, TOM FORD, Smashbox, AERIN Beauty, Le Labo, Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle, GLAMGLOW, KILIAN PARIS, Too Faced, Dr.Jart+, and the DECIEM family of brands, including The Ordinary and NIOD.
About TOM FORD
In April 2005, Tom Ford announced the creation of the TOM FORD brand. Ford was joined in this venture by former Gucci Group President and Chief Executive Officer Domenico De Sole, who served as Chairman of the company. In that same year, Ford announced his partnership with Marcolin Group to produce and distribute optical frames and sunglasses, as well as a partnership with The Estée Lauder Companies to create TOM FORD BEAUTY. In April 2007, the brand’s first directly owned flagship store opened in New York on Madison Avenue which coincided with the debut of the TOM FORD menswear and accessory collections. In September 2010, during an intimate presentation at his Madison Avenue flagship, Ford presented his highly anticipated womenswear collection. In February 2018, Ford debuted TOM FORD timepieces and his underwear collection for the first time on the runway. Presently, there are over 100 freestanding TOM FORD stores and shop-in-shops globally. In 2023, The Estée Lauder Companies became the sole owner of the TOM FORD brand and all its intellectual property.
About Ermenegildo Zegna Group
Founded in 1910 in Trivero, Italy, the Ermenegildo Zegna Group (NYSE: ZGN) is a leading global luxury group. The Group is the owner of the world-renowned ZEGNA and Thom Browne brands, and operates TOM FORD FASHION through a long-term license agreement with The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. The Group also manufactures and distributes the highest quality fabrics and textiles through its Luxury Textile Laboratory Platform. At the Group’s core is a uniquely vertically integrated supply chain that brings together the best of Italian fine craftsmanship. Responsibility towards people, community and the natural world has been at the heart of the Ermenegildo Zegna Group’s belief since its founding by the Zegna family over 100 years ago. Ensuring the highest quality of products without compromising the quality of life for future generations is a commitment carried from the Group’s home in Italy to its operations around the world. Today the Group operates in approximately 80 countries around the world through 500 ZEGNA and Thom Browne stores, of which 304 are directly operated by the Group as of March 31, 2023 (242 ZEGNA stores and 62 Thom Browne stores). At the end of 2022, Ermenegildo Zegna Group had more than 6,000 employees and revenues of approximately €1.5 billion.
About Marcolin
Marcolin is a worldwide leading group in the eyewear industry founded in 1961 in the heart of the Veneto district, Italy. It stands out for the unique ability to combine craftsmanship with advanced technologies through the constant pursuit of excellence and continuous innovation. It signed a long-term license with The Estée Lauder Companies for TOM FORD eyewear as a substantial extension of its license with TOM FORD since 2005. Its portfolio includes proprietary brands, as well as more than twenty licensed brands. Through its own direct network and global partners, Marcolin distributes its products in more than 125 countries. At the end of 2022, Marcolin Group had about 2,000 employees and net sales of €547.4 million.
The forward-looking statements in this press release, including those in the quoted remarks and those relating to the closing of the transactions and benefits and other expectations for TOM FORD and TOM FORD BEAUTY involve risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause actual results to differ from those forward-looking statements include current economic and other conditions, including volatility, in the global marketplace, actions by retailers, suppliers and consumers, competition, the transition and ongoing success of the collaborative relationship of the parties, contingencies set forth in the various transaction agreements, the abilities to implement the forward business plans, and those risk factors described in ELC’s annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended June 30, 2022.
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