Mentioned alongside some of the world’s luxurious brands, Tom Ford’s eyewear line demonstrates innovative design and superior craftsmanship. Despite being a brand for less than two decades, Tom Ford Eyewear has successfully penetrated the Hollywood A-list scene with consistent features in blockbuster films — James Bond himself is a huge Tom Ford Eyewear fan.
Let’s take a look at the brand’s journey to success in such a short period of time, top Tom Ford glasses and sunglasses designs, and a list of celebrities who are known to own a pair or two of Tom Ford Eyewear.
Brand History
Tom Ford Eyewear is named after the designer, Tom Ford, himself. Ford was born in 1961 in Austin, Texas. When he was 11, his family moved to New Mexico.
Ford didn’t exactly have the best educational background — he failed to complete his course at Bard’s College, and because he wanted to pursue a career in acting in television commercials, he also dropped out of the art history course at New York University (NYU).
Things did take a turn for him in the advertising business — at one point, he was featured in around twelve different advertising campaigns at the same time. Ford started studying interior architecture at Parson’s New School for Design, and during that time, he frequented New York’s happening nightclub Studio 54. (The club’s disco-era glamour would become a major influence in his designs later on.)
Before his final year at New School, Ford worked as an intern in Chloé’s press office in Paris, France — this sparked his interest in fashion. He spent his final year at New School studying fashion, but still graduated with a degree in architecture.
After graduation, Ford worked at various fashion brands before landing a job at Italian fashion house Gucci as chief women’s ready-to-wear designer. Within six months, he was designing menswear, followed by shoes. He then became Gucci’s design director and was the head of eleven product lines.
In 1994, Ford was promoted to creative director of Gucci. When Yves Saint Laurent (YSL) was acquired by Gucci in 1999, Ford was the creative director of that brand as well.
Ford left Gucci in April 2004, and launched his own brand named after himself in 2005, featuring menswear and womenswear ready-to-wear and made-to-measure offerings, accessories, footwear, and handbags.
Tom Ford Eyewear Collection with Marcolin
In October of the same year of the launch of the Tom Ford brand, Tom Ford announced that he would be working with Italian eyewear giant Marcolin Group to produce an eyewear line consisting of sunglasses and optical frames. Marcolin is a leading eyewear company with an impressive portfolio, which includes brands like John Galliano Eyewear, Ferrari, Montblanc Eyewear, Timberland, Roberto Cavalli Eyewear, Swarovski Eyewear, and DSquared2 Eyewear.
In 2011, Marcolin and Tom Ford announced the extension of the license agreement, for the design, production, and worldwide distribution of eyewear under the Tom Ford brand until December 2022.
Marcolin Group Style and Licensing Officer Maurizio Marcolin commented: “The further extension of our agreement is geared towards strengthening the presence of TOM FORD EYEWEAR in all markets and aimed at further increasing the international development of the brand. I am delighted that we will be partners with Tom for many years to come and look forward to capturing all of the additional opportunities for growth. Our strong relationship has enabled us to bring to the market an iconic, luxurious, premium brand that continues to reach immediate success and global awareness.”
Tom Ford brand President and CEO Tom Ford said: “Marcolin is an exceptional manufacturer and partner. The renewal is a natural result of the excellent relationship that we have had over the past five years.”
In August 2022, Estee Lauder Companies (ELC) acquired the Tom Ford brand, and announced its extension of licenses with Marcolin Group for Tom Ford Eyewear. Marcolin Group reconfirmed its long-term license the same day, stating that “this represents a substantial extension of Marcolin’s license with Tom Ford.”
While designer Tom Ford has stepped down as the brand’s creative director in November 2022, he continues to serve as a brand advisor to ELC through the end of calendar 2023. Specifically referring to his eyewear line, Ford commented: “Marcolin has been an excellent partner in producing and distributing TF eyewear since the inception of the brand and I have enjoyed close collaboration with Maurizio Marcolin and his talented team for many years now. These companies, under the brand stewardship of The Estée Lauder Companies, provide me with confidence that the Tom Ford brand will continue to be something that I will be proud of for many years to come.”
To this day, Tom Ford Eyewear has consistently ranked worldwide as one of the top three brands in eyewear specialty stores.
Craftsmanship
Tom Ford Eyewear represents the best of Ford’s style — a perfect blend of classic and contemporary that redefines luxury. Since its launch, it has become an instant hit worldwide, and countless of celebrities are part of his regular clientele.
The success of Tom Ford Eyewear is not only to do with its association with the brand — the design, craftsmanship, and technology prove that this eyewear line deserves its top spots as a luxury eyewear brand.
Design
What wins a lot of customers over with Tom Ford Eyewear is its designs. The brand encompasses the spirit of New York City and the essence of Milan. Designs range from classic to unconventional, and some are the perfect balance of both. Eyewear lines, for both men and women, reinvents vintage concepts with contemporary allure.
Even though the styles of frames can vary, there is one detail that is on every frame of Tom Ford Eyewear: the signature “T” logo. This not only represents the undisputed icon of the brand but also adds sleek details to the frames. This detailing is creatively played into various eyewear designs, adding that extra edge to Tom Ford Eyewear styles.
Quality & Material
Tom Ford Eyewear prides itself on the quality of its products. Each pair of sunglasses and glasses is handmade and handcrafted in Italy. Frames are carefully shaped and polished, and lenses are cut and fitted to perfection. The attention to detail and quality is what places Tom Ford Eyewear above the rest of luxury eyewear brands.
The brand invests tremendously in its materials. Frames are made of top-tier Italian materials, including high-quality acetate that guarantees durability, metal alloys that offer long-lasting wear, and nylon-based plastic that is much stronger and more durable than regular plastic.
Plastic frames have an estimated price between $200 and $500, while Tom Ford frames with built-in titanium would cost more than $600.
The lenses are also made out of high-quality materials. Lenses are made of polycarbonate or glass. These materials offer higher resistance to impact and scratches respectively, which also extends the product’s lifespan. All of Tom Ford's sunglasses offer 100% UV protection.
Lens Technology
On top of design and quality, the lenses of Tom Ford’s sunglasses and glasses are functionally superior. Frames of the brand come standard with high-quality polarised or gradient lenses, which offer great outdoor comfort and non-glare vision.
Among many of the lens technology used is a range of sunglasses that feature photochromic lenses. These are lenses that self-adjust for degrees of darkness and lightness, depending on the light conditions.
Tom Ford Eyewear utilises the latest lens technology to ensure top performance and function, while still keeping with the latest styles and trends.
Top Tom Ford Glasses and Sunglasses Designs for Men
Throughout the years, Tom Ford has released a great number of designs, for both men and women. The brand is best known for its aviator and wayfarer frames, and mostly in darker colours. Some of these styles have come to be more popular than others, thanks to celebrities and features in movies. Here are some of the top Tom Ford glasses and sunglasses designs for men:
Snowdon Sunglasses
The Snowdon Sunglasses is, without a doubt, one of the top Tom Ford sunglasses to this day. It was worn by James Bond (Daniel Craig) in SPECTRE, which definitely played a huge part in this design rising to popularity. The Snowdon Sunglasses is a retro-inspired pair with ultra-thick frames. The temples feature the signature Tom Ford ’T’. This style comes in two colours: Black on Dark Havana or Patterned Tortoiseshell.
Henry Sunglasses
Another Tom Ford sunglasses that became popular, thanks to the 007 Saga Movies, is the Henry Vintage Wayfarer FRR0248. This design was also worn by James Bond in SPECTRE, and features a half-rimmed wayfarer shape and the signature ’T’ temples. The colour worn by Bond in the movie is a Dark Havana frame and dark metal, but this style is also available in Black and Gold.
Marko Sunglasses
The Tom Ford Marko FT0144 is yet another one worn by James Bond, in the movie Skyfall. This design features a classic aviator shape. As the frame is slimmer, the signature ’T’ logo is less distinct. The colour worn by Bond is a silver (rhodium) frame with blue lenses (colour code 18V). Other colour schemes include gunmetal frame with brown lenses, rose gold metal frame with gradient green lenses, and light ruthenium metal frame with blue sky mirror lenses.
Classic Soft Square Optical Frame
Tom Ford’s optical range is also popular. Among the top designs include the Classic Soft Square Optical Frame FT5178. Made of acetate and featuring gold ’T’ temple detailing, this style features a thick rectangular design. It is one of the most iconic Tom Ford glasses, and is often seen in adverts for the brand. It comes in Black, Dark Havana and Vintage Havana.
Tom N.13 Glasses
A more contemporary style that’s popular is the FT5499-P N.13 glasses, which feature a soft square shape frame with the signature ’T’ temple detailing. It has a more vintage-retro vibe. It comes in Green Horn colour with gold ’T’ logo and light brown lenses, and Dark Brown colour with light blue lenses.
Top Tom Ford Glasses and Sunglasses Designs for Women
Designs of Tom Ford sunglasses and glasses for men are also popular for women as a lot of Tom Ford styles are unisex. However, some designs are more popular for women only, and have been seen on numerous celebrities and in movies.
The Whitney
Arguably one of the most popular Tom Ford sunglasses for women is The Whitney. Celebrities like Gwen Stefani and Angelina Jolie have been seen wearing a pair of this design. These oversized soft round plastic polarised sunglasses features an iconic crossover detail at the front, with metal ’T’ inserts on the tubular temples, as well as cutaway lenses. This style is made for those looking to make a statement while still requiring the superior functionality of a pair of sunglasses. The only colour way is Black with rose gold metal inserted at the temples.
Jennifer
As seen on Jennifer Aniston in the film “The Bounty Hunter”, the Tom Ford Jennifer sunglasses is another exceptionally popular style for women. It is a soft square plastic frame with cutaway lenses, and comes in a variety of colours including Black, Dark Grey, Dark Brown, Shiny Black, Dark Havana, and Transparent Brown. The oversized design offers ultimate protection while still looking chic.
The Leo
Another popular design is The Leo, which is a unisex model featuring a rectangular shapes frame and oversized lenses. It’s a great part to make a statement with. The frame is made out of strong acetate, and the temples feature the signature ’T’ detailing.
Nikita
The Tom Ford Nikita sunglasses are exceptionally popular. Cat eye frames have been coming back since 2011, and Tom Ford has reinvented the classic cat eye style in this design. The slick frame comes in three different colours, and the lenses are 100% UV protection (as with all Tom Ford sunglasses). This frame is most notably seen on Scarlett Johansson.
Celebrities Wearing Tom Ford Glasses and Sunglasses
Many stars, including A-list celebrities, have been seen wearing Tom Ford Glasses and Sunglasses. The brand is also extremely known for being features in countless blockbuster films, growing its popularity and success. Below are images of celebrities wearing Tom Ford Eyewear:
Daniel Craig in Snowdon
Daniel Craig in Henry
Blake Lively in Arabella (The Rhythm Section movie)
Ryan Reynolds in Snowdon (The Hitman’s Bodyguard movie)
Ryan Reynolds in TF5886-B 052 Blue Control
Adria Arjona in Tom Ford Brad (6 Underground movie)
Jennifer Lawrence in Saskia Soft Cat Eye Sunglasses
Sofia Vergara in Tom Ford Jennifer
Lucky Blue Smith in Tom Ford S/S16
Kate Upton in Tom Ford
Jennifer Lopez in TF5745-B 001 Blue Control
Zendaya in TF5479-B 001 Blue Control
Jeff Goldblum in TF5379 001
Brad Pitt in TF5313 001
Camila Mendes in TF5743-B 001 Blue Control (in Riverdale)
Madonna in Tom Ford Renee TF847 001
Daniel Craig in 144 Marko (Skyfall movie)
Jake Gyllenhaal in Tom Ford Snowdon
Conclusion
There is no doubt that Tom Ford Eyewear ranks high on the list of luxury eyewear brands. It has proven, time and time again, that it is superior in quality craftsmanship and innovative design. If big-name celebrities like Daniel Craig and Brat Pitt are fans of Tom Ford Eyewear, they are definitely on to something — the rest of us should follow suit.