Haider Ackermann’s Tom Ford Is About Risk and Freedom

A few days after his runway show, Nicole Phelps sat down with Tom Ford’s Creative Director Haider Ackermann in his Paris office to discuss his latest show, his inspirations, and how he became a fashion designer. 

They started off talking about desire and seduction, “We're living in a period where men are more vain than they have ever been before,” he told Nicole, “And they're embracing their feminine side. They’re more daring.” He encourages his models to seduce the crowd, to play, and to feel joy as they walk the runway. 

Nicole noted that he has cultivated a dedicated group of friends and customers who come to all of his shows. When asked how he has fostered these people (he named Tilda Swinton as one of these longtime friends), he said “I do believe in loyalty. I’m very loyal to all my exes. I don’t know how to dis-love once I have loved.”

Tom Ford and this latest collection is notably sexy, but Ackermann rejects the notion that this is simply done to provoke. “I’m not interested in provocation, but I am interested in taking risks and feeling free, certainly in a world where everything is more puritan and reserved.” 

Tomorrow, he is off to Chile to go kayaking in and around the glaciers. He travels all around the globe, but has a particular affinity for travel to remote places where his cellphone has no service. “It is perhaps in search of silence. When you go very far away and lose yourself and feel so small against Mother Nature, you're suddenly much closer to yourself.” Right now, he’s happy to get away and grateful for the journey he has been on. “I beat to my own drum and I’m happy to still be standing after all these years.”

Also on the episode, producer Chelsea Daniel went inside the CVFF Americans in Paris dinner with Chloe. They also discussed the Givenchy, Celine (the cappuccino popsicles were a highlight), Alaia, Simone Rocha, and Miu Miu shows. Olivia Coleman is everyone’s favorite model! 

The Run-Through with Vogue is your go-to podcast where fashion meets culture. Hosted by Chloe Malle, Head of Editorial Content, Vogue U.S.; Chioma Nnadi, Head of British Vogue; and Nicole Phelps, Director of Vogue Runway, each episode features the latest fashion news and exclusive designer and celebrity interviews.

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