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Ken Towner/Evening Standard/Rex/REX USA
Tom Ford doesn't really need an introduction. Check out this audacious and diverse designer's journey.
1961 – Tom Ford Jr. is born on Aug. 27 to a pair of real estate agents in Austin, Texas. His parents notice that he is a little different because G.I. Joe isn't in his vocabulary. His favorite pastime? Rearranging their furniture.
1975 – Mother Shirley decides to relocate to Santa Fe. Among the rules of the household: "being poorly dressed is disrespectful to others." At 14, Tom gives himself a cucumber eye treatment only to find out he's allergic. The results land him in the ER.
1979 – Tom leaves home to attend Bard College at Simon's Rock in Massachusetts. New England doesn't cut it for him, so he heads to NYU to study art history. A few months later, he gets bored, drops out, and moves to the City of Angels to become an actor.
1983 – He heads east to attend Parsons School of Design, where he parties the night away at Studio 54. Meeting the right people at the right time, he lands an internship at Chloé in Paris. This internship inspires him to do larger things in the world of fashion.
1985 – The big break comes after meeting sportswear designer Cathy Hardwick; he ends up assisting her for two years.
1986 – On an elevator ride at a fashion show, Tom meets WWD fashion editor Richard Buckley. The two fall head over heels in love.
1988 – Tom heads to Perry Ellis, where one of his good friends from Studio 54, Marc Jacobs, is designing. He stays there for two years and then ditches the U.S. for Milan.
1990 – The Gucci ready-to-wear division is in desperate need of a revamp. Dawn Mello, the head of Gucci, hires the unknown designer based off of his sketching ability and incredible eye for detail.
1992 – Tom reinvents Gucci and moves the brand's financials back into the green. He takes over as head of Gucci.
1995 – Since Tom began his reign, sales at Gucci have increased by 90 percent. LVMH sees a huge opportunity and acquires the house. By the end of 1999, the once-flailing brand is reeling in earnings of $4.3 billion.
1997 – People names Tom one of its 50 Most Beautiful People.