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Peter Hawkings, longtime deputy of Tom Ford who took over as the brand’s creative director in 2023, has exited the business, Estée Lauder Companies said in a statement Monday. A successor will be announced in the “near future,” the company said.
The label’s Spring-Summer 2025 collection will be presented in September in Tom Ford’s Milan showroom rather than on the runway.
Hawkings worked as a key deputy of Tom Ford for over two decades, including as senior vice president of Tom Ford Menswear, the line he helped Ford to establish in 2006. He stepped into the label’s top job last spring after Ford sold the brand to cosmetics giant Estée Lauder in a $2.8 billion deal. Italian group Zegna in turn licensed the brand’s fashion business in a long-term partnership.
At a debut show last September, Hawkings paid tribute to Ford’s glory days at Gucci in the late 1990s with leather micro-shorts and hip-hugging skirts, plunging necklines on ruffled blouses. A sophomore outing in March took aim at the commercially potent outerwear category, showing military-inspired peacoats, furry bombers and leather trenches alongside the label’s bread-and-butter smokings and evening dresses.
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A slowdown in luxury demand is putting strain on smaller, weaker labels like Tom Ford, where apparel sales have long lagged its star licenses for fragrances and eyewear. Still, it’s hard to pinpoint what might have gone wrong — or if the designer decided to depart for another opportunity.
Hawkings’ collections were recognised for sharp execution that carried on Tom Ford’s sleek style, even if they were dinged by some critics for playing it safe with a more vanilla take on sexy fashion. And Zegna was the founding licensee of Tom Ford Menswear since 2006, meaning the company had already worked closely with the designer for years.
Zegna Group plans to double Tom Ford’s store count and relaunch womenswear with a focus on handbags to drive growth and profitability for its new acquisition, as menswear previously made up two-thirds of sales. A designer change could slow down the group’s plans, which benefitted from continuity under Hawkings both within the brand’s offer and its organisation.
The change “could add uncertainty to Zegna Group’s growth story...amid continued weak trends of the Chinese consumers,” UBS analyst Chris Huang said in a note to clients.
The company reported first-quarter revenues of €65.0 million for its Tom Ford Fashion unit. The group will likely be asked for more information on the designer’s exit during a conference call for its first-half results Thursday, though its deal with brand owner Estée Lauder will likely limit its authority to comment on the shake-up.
