Thomas Carlyle Ford, better known today as Tom Ford, is an American fashion designer and film director. Initially trained as an architect at Parsons School of Design, Ford spent a year working abroad at an internship for fashion house Chloé and developed a feel for the fashion industry.

Tom Ford announced the creation of his own brand in 2005. The company offers fashions, accessories and eyewear, and is known for its sexually-charged advertising. Ford also formed a partnership with Estee Lauder that same year, for the development of fragrances and cosmetics. The first fragrance produced under this alliance; Black Orchid (2006) was an immediate success. A series of successful fragrances for men and women have since been launched, along with a prestige line, Tom Ford Private Blend, whose first fragrance was Purple Patchouli in 2007.

Ford's career took an unusual turn in 2009 when he directed his first film, "A Single Man," which was well-received by critics and filmgoers and earned a number of awards and nominations for the director and actors.