Haider Ackermann on Tom Ford, Karl Lagerfeld and the Definition of Luxury
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Haider Ackermann recently sat down on Business Innovators Unplugged, and he covered a lot of ground. Fresh off being named GQ’s Fashion Designer of the Year, the designer opened up about his new gigs as creative director for Tom Ford and Canada Goose. But he went deeper than just the job titles. He talked about his wandering childhood, his relationship with the legendary Tom Ford, and where he thinks the luxury market is actually heading.
The Observer’s Perspective: Ackermann’s style isn’t something he just picked up in a classroom. It comes from a childhood spent bouncing between Ethiopia, Chad and Algeria. Born in Colombia and adopted by French parents, he calls himself a perpetual “observer.”
Since he couldn’t speak the local languages at first, he just watched. He focused on the movement of fabric. The gestures of women in traditional dress. That isolation forced him to build a disciplined imagination. He wasn’t exactly a model student. His “untamed” nature eventually got him expelled from Antwerp’s Royal Academy.
Distinguishing the Vision: The designer also took a moment to clear up those 2010 rumors about Karl Lagerfeld naming him a potential successor at Chanel. Ackermann says that wasn’t a job offer. It was Karl playing a deeper game – a strategic move to turn the industry’s gaze toward Ackermann. It forced him to take his own work seriously.
Now that he’s steering the ship at Tom Ford, Ackermann draws a sharp line between the founder’s vision and his own. Sure, they share a vocabulary of “seduction and desire,” but the execution is different.
“He might be more sexual; I might be more sensual,” Ackermann said.
He argues that “power dressing” has changed. Modern women have an internal power now. They don’t need aggressive clothes to prove it.
The Economy of Desire: Ackermann also offered a critique of how fast the fashion industry moves these days. To him, true luxury isn’t about buying things. It’s about time. And silence.
He suggests that our culture of instant gratification kills “desire.” And isn’t the longing for an object often more valuable than actually owning it?
When it came to advice for emerging designers, Ackermann didn’t just give the usual “follow your passion” speech. He emphasized the necessity of a strong team and legal protection. He quoted Yoko Ono on the power of collective dreaming, but added a necessary reality check: “Follow your dreams, but be anchored in reality and have a good lawyer.”
