Tom Ford was one of the first designers to truly cash-in on brand extensions, and now he has taken the concept a step further with his New York Fashion Week show, using it to launch not just fashion and accessories, but beauty and fragrance direct to the consumer.
His live-streamed show was, as Vogue put it, part of the first wave of designers embracing a radical new sales model that rethinks decades of industry-wide standard operating procedure. To quote the man himself: Fall is, "hanging downstairs, steamed, and ready to be flipped into the store tomorrow night."
A minimal makeup look accompanied the collection, which featured textural designs for men and women, along with the launch of a new unisex fragrance, said to be the first inspired by what was shown on the runway itself. Tom Ford Private Blend Ombre Leather eau de parfum was composed to round out the vision of the season. “Ombré Leather 16 is an extremely textural scent that imprints you with a tactile sensuality. It makes one feel different, beautiful and desired,” Ford said. It features violet leaf, a spice trio and jasmine atop notes of leather, woods, vetiver and amber.
The AW16 beauty collection is all about elevated neutrals to complement the mood for a fresh-faced yet groomed look. For men, Brow Gelcomb is the hero product, with a bronzing gel and lip balm also used. For women a nude pink lip was created with the new Lip Contour Duo, a combination liner and lipstick in one slim tube. An eye colour duo with a slight shimmer of champagne and espresso also features alongside a blush. The collection was available immediately in the United States, a departure from the standard industry product lag of months from runway to retail. New Zealand is due to receive beauty stock in the week commencing September 12, at Smith & Caughey's Queen St. The fragrance will also be available at David Jones, Wellington.
