This year’s honorees include a Midwest retailer and two multi-store independents, one in New York and the other in New England.
Tom Ford is Entering the Swiss Watch Game
The design brand will partner with Shinola’s parent company.
New York--He’s both a lauded fashion designer and filmmaker, and now Tom Ford will try his hand at watches.
Ford’s design company Tom Ford International is partnering with Bedrock Manufacturing Company, the parent company of Shinola and outerwear and accessories brand Filson, on Tom Ford Timepieces.
Tom Ford Timepieces will be entirely Swiss-made and retail at a luxury price point.
Ford said, “Watches have long been an obsession of mine, and I have been waiting for the perfect moment in our brand development to introduce this category and have also waited for the perfect partner. We have found that in Tom Kartsotis and Bedrock Manufacturing Company. His passion and expertise in the industry are unparalleled, and I could not be more excited to embark on this venture with Tom and the team at Bedrock.”
Tom Ford made a name for himself as the creative director of Gucci from 1994 to 2004, a period in which he reinvented the brand and massively increased sales.
In 2005 he launched his eponymous line, creating menswear, beauty, eyewear and accessories and eventually adding a womenswear line in 2010. Currently the brand boats 124 concept stores or shop-in-shops worldwide.
In 2009, Ford made his directorial debut with “A Single Man,” starring Colin Firth, which he adapted for the screen from a novel. Last year, Ford followed up with “Nocturnal Animals,” which he also adapted from a novel and directed. “Nocturnal Animals” features Amy Adams and Jake Gyllenhaal.
Tom Ford Timepieces has yet to reveal a product release date but did say the watches will be in “limited distribution.”
Bedrock Manufacturing Company’s Kartsotis commented, “We have a deep appreciation for the craft, detail, quality and of course taste, that Tom Ford stands for. These values are relevant now more than ever. We are excited about this collaboration and look forward to helping Tom express his vision.”
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