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Tom Ford gets personal at Harlem’s Fashion Row Summit

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Harlem’s Fashion Row

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Fashion designer, filmmaker, Chairman of the Council of Fashion Designers of America​​, and now earnest man. ​Tom Ford​ talked about his journey to success, his purpose, and his family lifestyle at the Harlem’s Fashion Row​ 3rd Annual Digital Fashion Summit.

He was the closing keynote speaker with HFR CEO and Founder ​Brandice Daniel.​ While the summit was about race in fashion, the audience peaked into who Tom Ford is.

He attributes all of his success to his drive. Ford noted, “I think the thing that has helped me become successful is drive.”

He continued to say, “You can be the most talented person in the world, the most smartest person in the world, but if you don’t have that belief in yourself, and you don’t have that drive, I think it’s very hard to be successful.”

After, he stated, “Close your eyes and imagine what you want to be, where you want to be, how you want your life to be, and you go for it.”

With him being the chairman of CFDA, he spoke about the plans they were implementing to include more diversity into the American fashion realm.

One of the key projects he brought up was the ​American Collections Calendar​, where designers can put up their show during the off-season of NYFW to display their showcase.

In regards to race in fashion, Ford goes on to say, “I hope that the Black Lives Matter movement stays with us. It’s very important to not let this fade away.”

He went on to say that when he became a part of CFDA, he wanted to ensure the chairmen looked diverse in multiple facets.

“There are not enough black creatives in our industry, so how do we help that? We help that through mentorships. We need to make sure we don’t forget this,” said Ford.

He mentioned creating and having a black advisory board not to forget the effects of Black Lives Matter.

Later, Daniel asked him questions about his life choices. So when the question came up between sneakers or loafers, he chose sneakers, though he’d rather wear boots since he’s a Texan. However, during this quarantine, he mentioned that he’s been playing tennis every morning.

Listeners also learned that he is a night owl, but it helps him with his creativity, especially since no one is up in the house. Ford’s primary food group is ten cups of coffee and donuts.

This fashion icon is similar to the everyday American. He reads ​Charlotte’s Web​ for his son, Jack, and shared that he loves Jane Austin. He also spilled to everyone that he owns rights to a book but never disclosed what book it is.

Ford’s advice to the audience was if they want to get into fashion, don’t. He said, ” If you’re aspiring to be a fashion designer or work in fashion if there’s anything else you can do that would make you happy, do it, and don’t do fashion.”

He stressed, “It is a relentless business; it is a tough business; it is a hard business.” However, he said, “if you love it and you’re passionate about it, and you can’t imagine doing anything else, then do it…But you have to love it.”

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