Tom Ford takes on the world |
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| Monday, 11 June 2007 | |
 Tom Ford is taking his brand global. The designer and his business partner, Domenico De Sole, announced they have signed a number of agreements with franchise and wholesale partners to push the brand into key new cities, starting next spring. This after opening his brand new flagship
 store in Manhattan and launching his luxury men's line only two months ago.
The men's line will become available through strategic partners such as Lane Crawford Joyce Group in Asia, Mercury in Russia, Harrods in London, the Neiman Marcus Group in the US and Villa Moda and UAE Trading in the Middle East, to name but a few. "We have partnered with the finest companies internationally...giving us the necessary competitive advantage as we expand our men's wear business globally," De Sole told WWD. The plan is to open 100 freestanding Tom Ford stores and a score of shop-in-shops within 10 years. First on the agenda is the opening of a directly owned flagship in Milan next year, as well as franchised stores in Moscow , Zurich , Saint Moritz , Hong Kong , Kuwait , Dubai and Qatar . Shop-in-shops are planned for Bergdorf Goodman in the US - as well as select Neiman Marcus stores - Harrods in London , Daslu in Sao Paolo, and Joyce stores in Tokyo and Osaka . Ford designs his luxury brand - tailored clothing, velvet embroidered slippers - in London , where directly operated stores will open next year, after the Milan opening. A London flagship is planned for 2009. Ford has particularly big plans for the Far East . Together with partner Lane Crawford Joyce Group, Ford plans to open at least 87 franchised Tom Ford stores over the next 10 years, in countries that include Japan , China , Hong Kong , Taiwan , Singapore , Indonesia , Malaysia and Australia . According to Ford, for a business to be successful in the Far East requires more stores. "The way people shop in Beijing , for example, is different because they have shopping hubs that are in towers mixed with hotels and offices that are like mini cities, so you need more stores." For the time being, Ford has no plans to introduce women's wear, claiming he is still too busy with the men's line, with which he feels he is making a "new statement". |
