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Palm Beach resident Tom Ford takes Outstanding Achievement Award at British fashion event

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Palm Beach resident Tom Ford takes Outstanding Achievement Award at British fashion event

British Fashion Council said Ford was being recognized for his remarkable body of work. The designer owns a historic house in Palm Beach.

Palm Beach seasonal resident Tom Ford, the internationally known American fashion designer, businessman and filmmaker, received the Outstanding Achievement Award at The Fashion Awards 2024 held Monday at London’s Royal Albert Hall.

In announcing the award October, the British Fashion Council said Ford was being recognized for his remarkable body of work.

“Ford is a leading figure in the world of fashion and luxury and is renowned for his business acumen, impeccable tailoring and his daring designs,” the council said.

Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour presented the award to Ford at Monday’s event.

Ford founded his eponymous fashion label in 2005 after stints as creative director for Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent. The line includes apparel for men and women, beauty products, eyeglasses and accessories. In November 2023, The Estée Lauder Cos. announced it would acquire the Tom Ford brand, which it valued at $2.8 billion. The announcement said The Estée Lauder Cos. would be the sole owner of the brand “and all its intellectual property.”

The billionaire designer soon after bought his first Palm Beach residence, using a trust to pay a recorded $51 million in December 2023 for an award-winning, contemporary-style house at 241 Jungle Road in Palm Beach’s Estate Section.

He sold that house five months later in an unusual house-swap transaction to private-equity specialist and real estate manager Brian Kosoy and his wife, Andrea. The Kosoys simultaneously transferred ownership of their nearby landmarked estate to Ford in the private deal. The transaction was said to have been valued at more than $100 million, although terms of the deal were never disclosed.

At the time of the sale of his brand to Estée Lauder, Ford said he was thrilled his company had found a new home.

“I could not be happier with this acquisition as The Estée Lauder Companies is the ideal home for the brand,” Ford said in a statement accompanying announcement of the acquisition.

With deep residential ties to Palm Beach, members of the billionaire Lauder family serve in a number of leadership positions at The Estée Lauder Cos.

In addition to his fashion career, Ford also has directed feature films, including 2009’s “A Single Man” starring Colin Firth. Ford was nominated for an Academy Award for the film.

Caroline Rush, chief executive, British Fashion Council said in the October release announcing the award: “We are thrilled to honour Tom Ford with the Outstanding Achievement Award for his exceptional contribution to fashion, film and culture. For over three decades, his visionary work has consistently pushed the boundaries in every field he has played his hand in — from transforming Gucci into a fashion powerhouse and launching his incredibly successful eponymous brand while establishing the design studio in London, to becoming an award-winning filmmaker. He is a true innovator and fashion icon in his own right and we can’t wait to celebrate with him!”

In his statement then about the award, Ford said: “It is an honour to be acknowledged for my contributions to fashion, film and culture by the British Fashion Council. This award is incredibly special to me, as I have spent a great deal of my life in London. During my 35 years in the fashion world, I have focused on creativity and the love of beauty and style. Fashion and Film are both collaborative efforts. One has to have a vision and then to communicate that vision to a team of talented people, and I would like to acknowledge all of those people who have supported me along the way. I am so very grateful to the British Fashion Council for this prestigious award.”

The Outstanding Achievement Award celebrates the overwhelming creative contribution of an individual to the fashion industry, who throughout their illustrious career has constantly shaped and reshaped the fashion world through their innovation and creativity, the council said.

Previous winners of the award include Mr. Valentino, Patagonia’s Yvon Chouinard, Giorgio Armani, Miuccia Prada, Ralph Lauren KBE, Karl Lagerfeld, Dame Anna Wintour, Terry and Tricia Jones and Manolo Blahnik CBE to name only a few.

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