Tom Ford Is Stepping Down As CFDA Chairman
After nearly three in the position, Tom Ford is stepping down as the CFDA's Chairman.
In a statement on CFDA.com Ford says, “When I began my role as Chairman in June of 2019, my goal was to help the American fashion industry become more globally recognized for its talent and importance. I could not have imagined the extraordinary circumstances that both the industry and the world would have to navigate – that a pandemic would shut the world down and change the course of our lives and of our businesses forever. The pandemic challenged all of us to think about our businesses in new ways – from the design process and production, to how we reach and speak to our customers. We were forced to come up with creative new ways to run our companies."
Tom Ford officially stepping down as CFDA chairman May 31; a new American fashion supremo to be chosen in the Fall. Nominations from the crowd?
— Vanessa Friedman (@VVFriedman) May 16, 2022
As Chairman, typically a two-year term that he extended for one year, Tom Ford refocused the NYFW schedule by shortening the usual week-long affair to five days and launching the American Collections Calendar. In 2019 he diversified the CFDA's Board of Directors by adding designers Virgil Abloh, Maria Cornejo, Kerby Jean-Raymond, and Carly Cushnie.
“As Chairman of the CFDA, I have had the privilege to experience first-hand the remarkable determination and optimism that drives our industry. I am honored to have been able to support the truly incredible talent in the American fashion industry for these past three years, and I look forward to continuing in my role on the CFDA Board,” Ford continues.
Steven Kolb, CFDA's CEO, will step in as Interim Chair until December 31st, 2022, and the board will vote for a new Chairman/Chairwoman who will start in January 2023.