The Story of My Hero

He looks alluringly into the camera lens with those arresting brown eyes, his gaze both humble and poised. His hair is cut short and his eyebrows are a little arched so that while his stare is one of boyish, quiet coyness, his tentative grin causes his eyebrows to raise ever slightly so that his eyes reveal a shade of cheekiness and sex; a paradox that creates a delectable tension that accentuates his charisma. A click is heard and a moment of the legendary icon's existence is immortalised. He is Tom Ford. His mother taught him that to be badly dressed is an act of disrespect to others. And this is certainly a lesson he has learnt well. He is immaculately groomed with a precisely sculpted muzzle that seems to be a permanent fixture of his ruggedly handsome visage. He drapes his body with only the finest fabrics, creating textures that immediately command attention, and contrasting colours to create a refined and understated declaration of individuality and personal identity. His shirt is, as usual, unbuttoned at the chest and a light patchwork of dark hair atop a bronze, sun-kissed landscape is displayed; a glimpse of the man underneath the luxury.

However, despite his flawless appearance, one would be grievously mistaken if one assumes that Ford is a man of pure style and no substance. He is one of those rare creatures that has the Midas touch. A man that works on immense natural intelligence and instinct, he masters every craft that he chooses to learn. Everything he lays his large, manicured hands on becomes a success. He began by studying art history at New York University and was also trained as an actor. But after his first year at university, he abandoned art history to study interior architecture at New York's Parsons School of Design. After his studies, he decided to move into fashion design and the golden opportunity came when he was hired as a designer for Gucci in 1990, a time when the giant fashion label was on the brink of bankruptcy. "We didn't even have a photocopier at one stage," reminisces Ford. "We didn't have any paper." In 1994, Ford was appointed creative director, giving him complete creative control over all of Gucci's product lines. He was also responsible for the company's image, advertising and marketing campaigns (including the controversial advertisement where the pubic hair of the female model was shaped into the letter G), even the designs for the Gucci stores. And it was his input and perseverance that brought the doomed fashion house from near-liquidation to the value of $4.3 billion.

In 2000, after its rejuvenation by Ford's hands, Gucci bought a controlling stake in Yves Saint-Laurent, where Ford was appointed creative and communications director of the house's ready-to-wear business, while continuing to design for Gucci - a daunting challenge, no doubt, because he had to design for two giant labels while maintaining each brand's individual flair. "Historically, [Gucci] is Sophia Loren. Yves Saint Laurent is Catherine Deneuve. They're both sexy," he told British Vogue in February 2001. But he conquered the task with aplomb. His visionary look of the fashion industry had already won him many coveted awards. In 1996 he won the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), Fashion Editors Club (FEC) Japan International Designer of the Year awards and Menswear and Womens wear Designer of the Year for Gucci at the VH1/Vogue Fashion Awards.

Each Gucci and Yves Saint-Laurent show with Ford at the helm left critics speechless with suspended breath. His collections incorporate homages to the classic elements of timelessless, simplicity and class but Ford injects his own imprint of sex and daring into this foundation, where the raison d'etre of his designs was to explore of different ways to wrap the body to make it more beautiful. His first collection for Yves Saint-Laurent, a beautiful study in black and white, earned him many awards including Womenswear Designer of the Year for Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche from the CFDA again, Best Designer of the Year for Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche from the FEC again, Best Fashion Designer from TIME Magazine and GQ Designer of the Year. Further to these decorations, TIME magazine named him the Best American Designer. His legendary status is one very well-earned indeed.

Now, having left both Gucci (his departure caused TIME magazine to exclaim, "Is this the end of fashion?") and Yves Saint-Laurent, Ford is building his eponymous empire, beginning with menswear. The fundamental concept of his line is to bring ready-to-wear designs closer to the elements of haute-couture to create pieces that epitomise pure luxury and extravagance.

To what does Ford attribute his extraordinary success? He sleeps for just two or three hours each night and keeps post-it notes on the bedside table in case he experiences sudden flashes of inspiration after his ephemeral slumber. "There are many more talented designers than me," says Ford. "But I have a lot of drive and won't let it go."