Tom Ford Fashion opens three US stores as CEO details retail push

Tom Ford Fashion has opened a store at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, California, and will add boutiques at Bal Harbour Shops in Florida and UTC Westfield in San Diego later this month. Before the three openings, the label operated 13 directly run stores in the US and 67 worldwide.

Chief executive Lelio Gavazza said the United States is a key market for the house and an important engine of growth. The Costa Mesa unit is on the rotunda in Jewel Court and opened on Wednesday, carrying ready-to-wear, leather goods, fragrance, beauty, eyewear and underwear for men and women.

The company was founded by designer Tom Ford in 2005 and has been solely owned by the Estée Lauder Cos. since a $2.8 billion deal completed in November 2022. Lauder has held Tom Ford Beauty since 2006. Zegna Group runs Tom Ford Fashion under a long-term licence, with Marcolin handling eyewear.

In the first half, Zegna's sales grew 6.4 percent to 987.3 million euros, and rose 9.3 percent on an organic basis. Tom Ford Fashion recorded revenues of 156.8 million euros, up 2.7 percent year over year and up 6.4 percent organically, reflecting the spring collection by creative director Haider Ackermann, appointed in 2024.

Ackermann presented a daring fall collection in Paris on Wednesday as part of the city's fashion week. Gavazza put the strength of the business down to a distinctive brand, a loyal client base and the evolution of the men's and women's collections. The direct-to-consumer model, he said, builds closer client relationships.

Inside the Costa Mesa store

The Costa Mesa boutique covers 4,428 square feet. Its facade uses Carrara Nuvolato marble, limestone plaster and polished chrome, while the San Diego store runs 3,240 square feet and follows the same blueprint as Bal Harbour, though its facade features Carrara Nuvolato marble, limestone plaster and polished chrome, as in Costa Mesa.

Inside, Newport white marble marks the women's area, Cala Paonazzo the cosmetics area, Calacatta the fragrance and eyewear areas, and black granite the men's area, while Bleu de Savoie marble marks the women's area at Bal Harbour, Cala Paonazzo the fragrance, cosmetics and eyewear areas there, and black granite the men's area, with open fireplaces in the separate lounges.

Both the men's and women's fashion spaces have their own separate lounges, each with a generously sized fireplace to add warmth and intimacy. The three new boutiques will also offer made-to-measure garments, which Gavazza called an essential part of the proposition and a true differentiator for the business.

He said the service draws on the house's heritage of tailoring and craftsmanship while leaning on Zegna Group's capabilities, and delivers the personal service and bespoke experience relevant to the American luxury consumer. Together with ready-to-wear, it reinforces Tom Ford's position as a complete luxury fashion house.

Bal Harbour and San Diego next

The Bal Harbour unit spans 3,456 square feet, and its facade is defined by Himalayan white marble and polished chrome.

Both openings offer the full range, from ready-to-wear to underwear, for men and women.

While the house invests in its own retail network, Gavazza said wholesale remains important in the US, where the label maintains selective, high-quality distribution that reflects the positioning and exclusivity of the brand. The group's retail-first model has paid off, with solid growth in the Americas.

Looking ahead, he said retail and the direct-to-consumer channel will be the primary drivers of growth, deepening client relationships and delivering the full Tom Ford experience. Gavazza joined the brand in September 2023, having previously served as executive vice president of sales and retail at jeweller Bulgari.

Zegna Group chief executive Gianluca Tagliabue said in July the company is pumping up the volume on Tom Ford Fashion, raising visibility and brand awareness and banking on a Paris store opening in January to amplify the message. He said the women's ready-to-wear category is growing the most.

Tagliabue also flagged untapped daywear opportunities for the women's line and a focus on made-to-measure and women's tailoring, with short lead times and the potential to expand the brand's client base. Zegna Group is publicly traded in New York and also owns the Zegna brand and Thom Browne.

Before Lauder's 2022 acquisition of Tom Ford's company, Zegna held the licence for the label's menswear. We have profiled Tom Ford on our company pages as the luxury house founded in 2005, known for fashion, accessories, fragrances and cosmetics with a sophisticated, modern aesthetic.

These three openings extend that footprint further into the American market, which Gavazza now frames as the brand's engine of growth. The Paris store due in January is the next opening named by the Zegna group.

Support the content you love — it’s free 🎉

Add Worthbury as a preferred source on Google. Our stories will be more likely to appear in Google’s Top Stories. It’s free and supports our team. Thank you!

Add as preferred source

You can remove us any time in Google’s source preferences.

This briefing is published daily using an AI-powered system crafted by Worthbury's team and finely tuned to meet our editorial standards. While we continuously test and review the output, mistakes can sometimes happen. Tell us if you spot one.

Images: Tom Ford Fashion