“Can’t We Do Something New?” Tom Ford Discusses His First Show-Now-Buy-Now Collection

Excerpt taken off www.vogue.com by Nicole Phelps 

You couldn’t fiddle with the collection because it’s been produced, right?
It’s hanging downstairs, hanging, steamed, ready to be flipped into the store tomorrow night.

And the same goes for your wholesalers.
Absolutely, it’s at Bergdorf’s, it’s at Neiman’s. They’ve photographed it for their catalogs, they had to sign non-disclosure agreements, they couldn’t leak any pictures. So it’s done. It’s all over the world ready to go into our stores. I can’t change a thing. I can change the hair and the makeup.

How does that feel? It’s really flipping the switch.
It’s kind of great, because also I haven’t looked at the clothes since I did them. Luckily, I really love them and I’m not tired of them. So, I think it feels good. I don’t know if this will be sustainable. We’ll have to see. I’ll have to see how it works; see how our customers respond to it. The weird thing is, there’s no long-lead press because I’m not showing it to anyone. So, I don’t know how that’s going to work going forward, having no clothes to send magazines.

You are a designer who went to Hollywood and at this moment we have celebrities getting into fashion. What do you think of the Kanyes and Rihannas getting into this business?
I think if they have a lot of personal style and they’re willing to devote a lot of personal energy, it can be good. I think a lot of people underestimate how serious our business is, how hard you have to work, and how dedicated you have to be. It is a tough, tough, ruthless industry and it takes a lot out of you. And so, if you’ve got a lot of style, as Rihanna does, and you’re willing to put a lot of energy into it, great. I sat next to Victoria Beckham the other day on a plane going from L.A. to London—she’s a friend—and I said, “Do you miss performing? You know, I actually forget that you were a performer because you’ve embraced what you do now as a fashion designer.” You know, she’s starting a beauty line. She’s very serious about it. And if you’re very serious about it, absolutely, great. If not, it can be hard. 

Excerpt taken off www.vogue.com by Nicole Phelps