The Santal (also spelled as Santhal (formerly also spelt as Sontal), are the largest tribal community in India, who live mainly in the states of Jharkhand, West Bengal, Bihar, Orissa, and Assam. There is also a significant Santal minority in neighboring Bangladesh, and a small population in Nepal. The santals belong to the Proto-Australoid group,and may have arrived in India soon after the Negritos.The name is given because of the similarity of racial type with Australian tribes.There is no precise information as to when this race first came into India.It is found among the prehistoric skulls in the Tinnevelly district, and from references in early Sanskrit literature to 'Nishads', where they are described as noseless (anash) with dark skin colour and peculiar speech and habits,there can be no doubt that the Proto-Australoid tribes were meant.The Santals are short in stature, and among them the broad flat nose with a sunken nose ridge is fairly common. They frequently have wavy hair;sometimes it is curly, though it is never frizzy.They share all these characteristics with other primitive tribes in the same group. To the Proto-Australoid races may perhaps be attributed a largest share of totemistic rites, exorcism, food taboos, and magical belief still obtaining in Indian life. The ban on commensality and intermarriage which forms the basis of the caste system must also owe its origin to them.It is impossible to dogmatize on these subjects when one remembers how widespread each of the above factors is among primitive cultures in various parts of the world. The tribal structure of the Santals is totemistic and the clans are patrilinear, as among the other tribes of Central India. Many of the taboos and customs which have grown up round life's crises, many features in the tribal ritual, their attitude towards disease and towards the supranatural world, are fundamentally similar throughout these tribes.

Santali language[link]

The Santals have been more tenacious of their language than many of the other peoples to whom they are racially allied. They are the largest tribe in India to retain an aboriginal language to the present day.The Santali language is part of the Austro-Asiatic family, distantly related to Vietnamese and Khmer.It is closely related to Mundari as well as to Ho,Korku, Savara and Gadaba, languages spoken by smaller tribes. The relationship of the Santals with these tribes is racial and cultural as well as linguistic, and as they live in neighbouring territories it is very likely that they have a common origin. They have nevertheless been separate long enough to develop their individual languages and to possess distinct though allied cultures.

The Santal script is a relatively recent innovation. Santali did not have a written language until the twentieth century and used Latin/Roman, Devnagri and Bangla writing systems. A need for a distinct script to accommodate the Santali language, combining features of both the Indic and Roman scripts was felt, which resulted in the invention of new script called Ol Chiki by Pandit Raghunath Murmu in 1925. For his noble deeds and contribution of the script Ol Chiki for the Santal society, he is revered among Santals. He wrote over 150 books covering a wide spectrum of subjects such as grammar, novels, drama, poetry, and short stories in Santali using Ol Chiki as part of his extensive programme for uplifting the Santal community. Darege Dhan, Sidhu-Kanhu, Bidu Chandan and Kherwal Bir are among the most acclaimed of his works. Pandit Raghunath Murmu is popularly known as Guru Gomke among the Santals, a title conferred on him by the Mayurbhanj Adibasi Mahasabha.

Beside Pandit Raghunath Murmu, very few Indian linguists worked seriously on the linguistic aspects of the language. One of them was Dr. Byomkes Chakrabarti (1923–1981). He was a Bengali research worker on ethnic languages. He was a renowned educationist and a poet too. His major contribution was in finding out some basic relationship between Santali language and Bengali language. He showed (in 'A Comparative Study of Santali and Bengali') how the Bengali language, under the influence of the Santali language, has some unique characteristics absent from other Indian languages.

The Santali script, or Ol Chiki, is alphabetic, and does not share any of the syllabic properties of the other Indic scripts such as Devanagiri. It uses 30 letters and five basic diacritics. It has 6 basic vowels and three additional vowels, generated using the Gahla Tudag.^[5]

His contribution on the origin and development of the Bengali and Santali language was fundamental in nature, and provided the scope for research in newer fields of liguistics.

Religion[link]

Santals believe in supernatural beings and ancestral spirits. Santali rituals consist mainly of sacrificial offerings and invocations to the spirits, or bongas. It is believed by some scholars that Bonga means the same as Bhaga (or Bhagavan).^[6] The Santals have their own story of creation, from two heavenly birds Pilchu Haram and Pilchu Buddhi.These two birds were created by God and then allowed to fly in all directions. One day they made a nest and laid two cosmic eggs. Out of this two eggs came the male and females of the Earth. Apart from the story of creation of human there is another story explaining the creations of all living things. These two stories are integral to the Santal worldview as it uniquely connects the life of humans to animals. The Santhals have a high regard of the flora and fauna and they decorate the mud walls of their houses with figures of animals and plants. Similarly the association of the Santals with the Hindu neighbors influenced their religion as well.

Santal Surnames[link]

A total of 12 clans is found in Santals.Pilcu Haram and Pilcu Budhi divided the clans as per the traditional tale as listed below:

1. The original Nijhasak
2. The one who ground down the horn-Marandi
3. The one who killed a sunbird-Soren Sipahi
4. The one who carried a deer-Hembram
5. The one who killed an owl- Tudu
6. The one who killed a kingfisher-Kisku
7. The one who made a bundle of stale Rice-Baske
8. The one who carried an umbrella over his head-Besra
9. The one who killed a rough-necked Iguana-Core
10. The one who killed a dove-Pauriya
11. The one who killed a bushy-haired monkey -Donka or Bhaduli-some scholars give the name of the lost clan as Bedea/ a title that is not known.
12. The one who restores us to tribal Status-Murmu.

The clans are exogamous and, with two exceptions, the members of one clan may marry a person belonging to any of the other clans. The first exception to the general rule prohibits a marriage between a Marandi and a Kisku because of the quarrel in which these two clans were involved. The second prohibits the marriage of a Tudu and a Besra. Another version of the origin of the clans bears rather obvious traces of the influence of the surrounding culture by dividing them on an occupational basis after the analogy of Hindu castes. According to it, the Murmu became the priests, or Brahmins, of the tribe;The Soren were the warriors, or Kshattriyas: hence the addition to their name of the epithet sipahi, or "sepoy". The Marandi were traders, the Kisku were rajas, the Tudu were drummers, and so on. This version, now widely current, is probably of comparatively recent date and may have arisen out of the need to compensate the Santals, or at least certain of the clans, for their low social status in the eyes of their caste Hindu neighbours.The totemistic basis is very clearly marked, and in certain directions it still exercises a powerful influence on the habits of the Santals. The Nijhasak are always named first and they are the original clan. Their name is related to the goose and gander of the myth, from which the first human beings were born, and they do not eat either goose or duck.

Tradition says that each of the twelve clans are divided into twelve sub-clans, or khut.At the present day in the case of most of the clans there are in fact many more than twelve sub-clans. These sub-clans do not affect the rules govern-ing marriage outside the clan. Some of the sub-clan names are found in more than one clan, and while it is unusual for the member of a sub-clan in one clan to marry a member of the corresponding sub-clan in another clan, there is no absolute barrier preventing such marriages. In each clan there is a division that is taken to have been the original sub-clan, the word Nij being prefixed to the clan name.

The Santal clan system is not rigid and thus the society is free from untouchability, non association and other ill effects of harsh class laws.

Profession[link]

The Santals are agricultural tribe, from time immemorial they have cleared forests, toiled the land, and produced food for subsistence. Santals laborers were considered very efficient and they easily found employment in coal mines. Beside agriculture they also domesticate animals like cows, buffaloes and pigs. Apart from these the Santals also are well versed in the art of hunting, where their exceptional skills with bow and arrows is noticeable. After the ban on hunting by the Government of India, the Santals do not get chance to practice their archery skill but recently a new venture of organizing village level archery competitions during festive seasons has given a chance to culture this unique legacy.

Moving with time the Santals have taken up profession in every field. There are good number of Santal doctors, engineers, governments servants, the opening up of new avenues have changed their lifestyle and made it typically urban.

Santali culture[link]

The Santali culture has attracted many scholars and anthropologists for decades. Some studies of the Santali culture were done by the Christian missionaries. The most famous of them was the Norwegian-born Reverend Paul Olaf Bodding. Unlike many other tribal groups of the Indian subcontinent, the Santals have preserved their native language despite waves of migrations and invasions such as Aryan, Hun, Mughals, Europeans, and others.

Santali culture is depicted in the paintings and artworks in the walls of their houses. Local mythology includes the stories of the Santal ancestors Pilchu Haram and Pilchu Bhudi.

The Santals mainly prefer group performance than solo, which is an important feature of tribal art form in India.

A Santal drummer playing Tumda

Group dancing and singing is the most important medium to express their joy and happiness.

Santali dance

The Santali dance and music is tuned with the nature of occasion whether it is social or ceremonial. The three most quintessential instruments in Santali music are two kinds of drums one Tumda and the other Tamak, besides Tiriao or flute. The Tumda is a double headed drum having the shape of a frustum, the drum skins at left and right are made of animal skins. The one at the left has bigger circumference than the right. The Tamak has a hemispherical shape, with a wider circumference and played by two drum sticks. Tiriao or basically a bansuri is a bamboo made musical instrument with five holes.

The most well known dance form of the Santals is a group of women with interlocked hands forming a semicircle, encircling a relatively smaller group of male percussionists at the centre. The dance steps and movements are in accordance with the beats which is relatively simple. The dance forms, countenance, and beats differ from region to region. The Santali Dance have a wide variety and types and is tuned with ceremony and social celebrations. The Dasai dance is performed only by males of the community on festive occasions. Langre, Guluri, and Humti is danced all round the year, whereas Baha and Sohorai are only for festive seasons. In social ceremonies like marriage Dong is danced. Along with these popular dances some other rare forms like Rinjha and Jhika also exist and performed only in few regions.

The Santal songs also have similar variety like there dance, the Santali word for song is "Sereng". Generally singing is accompanied with dancing but there are some songs which do not include dancing. There is also a kind of song sung during the sowing of paddy. The "Gam Sereng" is another type of song which is sung in hot summer evening.

The Santal rebellion[link]

Background[link]

The insurrection of the Santals was mainly against the British People & their supporters like moneylenders, bangali zamindars and their operatives. Before the advent of the British in India the Santhals resided peacefully in the hilly districts of Mayurbhanj Chhotanagpur, Palamau, Hazaribagh, Midnapur, Bankura and Birbhum. Their agrarian way of life was based on clearing the forest; they also engaged themselves in hunting for subsistence. But, as the agents of the new colonial rule claimed their rights on the lands of the Santals, they peacefully went to reside in the hills of Rajmahal. After a brief period of peace the British operatives with their native counterparts jointly started claiming their rights in this new land as well. The simple and honest Santals were cheated and turned into slaves by the zamindars and the money lenders who first appeared to them as business men and lured them into debt, first by goods lent to them on loans. However hard the Santals tried to repay these loans, they never ended. Through corrupt measures of the money lenders, the debts multiplied to an amount for which a generation of the santal family had to work as slaves. Furthermore, the Santali women who worked under labour contractors were disgraced and abused.

Rebellion[link]

On 30 June 1855, two Santal rebel leaders, Sidhu and Kanhu Murmu, mobilized 30 thousand Santals and declared a rebellion against British colonists.

Soon after the declaration the Santals took to arms. In many villages the Jamindars, money lenders and their operatives were put to death. The open rebellion caught the British Government by surprise. Initially a small contingent was sent to suppress the rebels but it with meet no success and this further fueled the spirit of the revolt. When the law and order situation was getting out of hand the British Government finally took a major step and sent in large number of troops assisted by the local Jamindars and the Nawab of Murshidabad to quell the Rebellion.

A number of skirmishes occurred after this which resulted in large number of casualties for the Santals. The primitive weapons of the Santals weren't a match against the musket and cannon of the British. Troop detachments from the 7th Native Infantry Regiment, 40th Native Infantry and others were called into action. Major skirmishes occurred from July 1855 to January 1856, in places like Kahalgaon, Suri, Raghunathpur, and Munkatora.

The revolt was brutally crushed, the two celebrated leaders Sidhu and Kanhu were killed. Elephants supplied by the Nawab of Murshidabad were used to demolish Santal huts and likewise profound atrocities were committed by the British army in quenching the Rebellion. Although the Rebellion was crushed with a heavy hand, some British army officers like Major Jervis who observed-

"It was not war; they did not understand yielding. As long as their national drum beat, the whole party would stand, and allow themselves to be shot down. Their arrows often killed our men, and so we had to fire on them as long as they stood. When their drum ceased, they would move off a quarter of a mile; then their drums beat again, and they calmly stood till we came up and poured a few volleys into them. There was not a sepoy in the war who did not feel ashamed of himself."^[7]

Charles Dickens in Household Words wrote-

"There seems also to be a sentiment of honour among them (Santals); for it is said that they use poisoned arrows in hunting, but never against their foes. If this be the case - and we hear nothing of the poisoned arrows in the recent conflicts - they are infinitely more respectable than our civilised enemy the Russians, who would most likely consider such forbearance as foolish, and declare that is not war."^[8]

Although its impact was largely shadowed by that of the other rebellion, the Indian Rebellion of 1857, the legend of the Santal Rebellion lives on as a turning point in Santal pride and identity. This was reaffirmed, over a century and a half later with the creation of the first tribal province in independent India, Jharkhand.

Santal Population[link]

Sl.Name of State/District Total Population Santal population Per cent

I JHARKHAND-BIHAR

  DEOGARH               9,33,113                           NA
  DHANBAD              26,74,651                     2,40,718            9
  DUMKA                14,95,709                     5,68,370           38
  GIRIDIH              22,25,480                     3,56,077           16
  GODDA                 8,61,182                     1,20,565           14
  HAZARIBAGH           16,01,576                       64,063            4
  KATIHAR              18,25,380                     1,09,522            6
  KODARMA               6,29,264                       37,755            6
  PASCHIM SINGHBHUM    17,87,955                     1,78,795           10
  PURBI SINGHBHUM      16,13,088                        NA
  PURNIA               18,78,885                       93,944            5
  SAHIBGANJ             7,36,835                     3,09,471           42

II ORISSA

 BALASORE             16,96,583                      1,69,658           10
 BHADRAK              11,05,834                        33,175            3
 CUTTACK                  NA
 DHENKANAL                NA
 KEONJHAR             13,37,026                            NA
 KHURDA                   NA
 MAYURBHANJ           18,84,580                       5,67,282          28
 SUNDARGARH               NA

III TRIPURA*

 TRIPURA                                                 2,200

IV WEST BENGAL

 BANKURA               28,05,065                       3,36,607         12
 BARDHAMAN             60,50,605                       3,63,036          6
 BIRBHUM               25,55,664                       1,53,340          6
 WEST (N&S) DINAJPUR   12,00,924                       1,80,138         15
 JALPAIGURI            28,00,543                             NA
 MALDAH                26,37,032                       1,84,592          7
 MEDINIPUR             83,31,919                      13,33,107         16
 PURULIA               22,24,577                       3,33,686         15

V ASSAM

 ASSAM                      NA                        2,00,000

VI NEPAL

 NEPAL               2,27,36,934                    485757453\

\565432.3984+654

   42,698           0.2
  JHAPA                 6,88,109                        23,172           3
  MORANG                8,43,220                        16,387           2

See also[link]

• Santhal rebellion

References[link]

This article includes a list of references, related reading or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Please improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (May 2009)

Bibliography[link]

• Archer, W. G. The Hill of Flutes: Life, Love, and Poetry in Tribal India: A Portrait of the Santals. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, 1974.
• Bodding, P. O. Santal Folk Tales. Cambridge, Mass.: H. Aschehoug; Harvard University Press, 1925.
• Bodding, P. O. Santal Riddles and Witchcraft among the Santals. Oslo: A. W. Brøggers, 1940.
• Bodding, P. O. A Santal Dictionary (5 volumes), 1933-36 Oslo: J. Dybwad, 1929.
• Bodding, P. O. Materials for a Santali Grammar I, Dumka 1922
• Bodding, P. O. Studies in Santal Medicine and Connected Folklore (3 volumes), 1925–40
• Bompas, Cecil Henry, and Bodding, P. O. Folklore of the Santal Parganas. London: D. Nutt, 1909. Full text at Project Gutenberg.
• Chakrabarti, Dr. Byomkes, A Comparative Study of Santali and Bengali, KP Bagchi, Calcutta, 1994
• Chaudhuri, A. B. State Formation among Tribals: A Quest for Santal Identity. New Delhi: Gyan Pub. House, 1993.
• Culshaw, W. J. Tribal Heritage; a Study of the Santals. London: Lutterworth Press, 1949.
• Edward Duyker Tribal Guerrillas: The Santals of West Bengal and the Naxalite Movement, Oxford University Press, New Delhi, 1987, pp. 201, SBN 19 561938 2.
• Hembrom, T. The Santals: Anthropological-Theological Reflections on Santali & Biblical Creation Traditions. 1st ed. Calcutta: Punthi Pustak, 1996.
• Orans, Martin. "The Santal; a Tribe in Search of a Great Tradition." Based on thesis, University of Chicago., Wayne State University Press, 1965.
• Prasad, Onkar. Santal Music: A Study in Pattern and Process of Cultural Persistence, Tribal Studies of India Series; T 115. New Delhi: Inter-India Publications, 1985.
• Roy Chaudhury, Indu. Folk Tales of the Santals. 1st ed. Folk Tales of India Series, 13. New Delhi: Sterling Publishers, 1973.
• Troisi, J. The Santals: A Classified and Annotated Bibliography. New Delhi: Manohar Book Service, 1976.
• ———. Tribal Religion: Religious Beliefs and Practices among the Santals. New Delhi: Manohar, 2000.

External links[link]

• Santal Engineers' Welfare Association - Working for all round development of Adivasi
• All India Santal Welfare and Cultural Society
• Santal Arts
• A Portal for Santals
• Santal Dance
• Santal lute - Dhodro Banam

Arif Lohar (Punjabi, Urdu: عارف لوہار) (born 1966) is a Punjabi folk singer. He usually sings with native musical instrument resembling tongs (called a 'chimta'). His folk music is representative of traditional folk heritage of the Punjab. He is the son of folk singer Alam Lohar.^[1]

Early life[link]

Born in a small village called Aach Goch in Gujrat District, Punjab, Pakistan, arif Lohar started singing to explore the folk singing of Punjab, and to keep the tradition of his father alive.

Career[link]

In 2005, he was awarded Pride of Performance Award from Government of Pakistan-the highest civil award in Pakistan. Son of Alam Lohar (another icon of Punjabi music) he started his singing career at an early age. To-date he has more than 150 albums to his credit and has recorded more than 3000 mostly Punjabi language songs. He is without doubt the number one living Punjabi Folk Singer in Pakistan. Worldwide he is among the Top Five Punjabi Folk and Pop Singers. In 2006 he made headlines in the Punjabi music world by his super hit album '21st Century Jugni', music produced, arranged and mastered by Mukhtar Sahota in Wolverhampton, UK, and was released by Internalmusic UK. Recently in June 2010 COKE STUDIO released his album Jugni COKE STUDIO which became a smash hit in Pakistan and over the Punjabi music world. Arif Lohar has made more than 50 foreign tours around the world during the last 20 years including UK, US and UAE. Further to this he is the only south Asian artist to perform in North Korea as part of a international delegation of peace and goodwill, performing in front of the present president.

In 2004 he performed in China for the opening of the Asian Games which had a crowd of close to 1 million in the open square, and was greatly appreciated by the local people: even though they do not understand: but feel his great performing style and great voice. Arif Lohar in the past has played lead roles in Punjabi movies also. He performed at the Wembly Arena London September 2010 to help the flood victims of Pakistan to an expected crowd of 25000 plus. Currently his career is at the peak in the Punjabi music world. He appeared in Pakistani film Jugni Nach De Aye, singing and producing three songs for the soundtrack.

In 2010 Arif Lohar participated in Coke-Studio(Pakistan live session programe by Rohail Hayat). In Coke-Studio season 3, Arif Lohar performed "Alif Allah Chambay Dey Booti/Jugni" with upcoming music star Meesha Shafi. The song became a massive hit in Pakistan and it is recognized as one of the greatest hits of Coke-Studio series.

Discography[link]

• Alif Allah Chambe Di Bootey ( [Coke Studio] )

• Ek Pal

• Bol Mitti Da

• Sher Punjab Da

• Soniye

• Aakhian

...

See also[link]

• Music of Pakistan
• List of Pakistani folk singers

References[link]

External links[link]

• Arif Lohar & Meesha - Coke Studio
• Arif Lohar Video Collection
• Arif Lohar music

Tom Ford
Tom Ford, September 2009
Born	(1961-08-27) August 27, 1961 (age 50)[1] Austin, Texas
Education	Parsons The New School for Design
Occupation	Fashion designer, film director
Labels	Cathy Hardwick, Perry Ellis, Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent, Tom Ford

Thomas Carlyle "Tom" Ford (born August 27, 1961)^[2] is an American fashion designer and film director. He gained international fame for his turnaround of the Gucci fashion house and the creation of the Tom Ford label before directing the Oscar-nominated film A Single Man.

Early life (1961–1986)[link]

Tom Ford was born August 27, 1961 in Austin, Texas, to realtors Tom Ford and Shirley Burton.^[3][4] He spent his early life in the suburbs of Houston, Texas, and in San Marcos, outside Austin; his family moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, when he was 11.^[5] In Santa Fe, he entered St. Michael's High School and later moved to Santa Fe Preparatory School, from which he graduated in 1979.^[6] Ford left Santa Fe at age 16, when he enrolled at Bard College at Simon's Rock, but quickly dropped out.^{[citation needed]} He then moved to New York City to study art history at New York University.^[7][8]

Ford dropped out of NYU after only a year, preferring to concentrate on acting in television commercials; at one time, he was in 12 national advertising campaigns simultaneously.^[4][7][9] Ford then began studying interior architecture at The New School's famous art and design college, Parsons The New School for Design.^[10] During his time in New York, Ford became a fixture at the legendary nightclub Studio 54, where he realized he was gay.^[11][12] The club's disco-era glamor would be a major influence on his later designs.^[13][14] Before his last year at New School, Ford spent a year and a half in Paris, where he worked as an intern in Chloé's press office.^[15][16] Though his work primarily involved sending clothes out on photo shoots, it triggered his love of fashion.^[16][17] He spent his final year at The New School studying fashion, but nonetheless graduated with a degree in architecture.^[16][17]

Early career (1986–1994)[link]

This biographical section of an article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (July 2011)

When interviewing for jobs after graduation, he said that he had attended The New School's Parsons division, but concealed that he graduated in architecture and that his work at Chloe was a low-level public relations position. Despite his lack of experience, Ford called American designer Cathy Hardwick every day for a month in hopes of securing a job at her mid-price sportswear company. Eventually, she agreed to see him. Hardwick later recalled the incident: "I had every intention of giving him no hope. I asked him who his favorite European designers were. He said, 'Armani and Chanel.' Months later I asked him why he said that, and he said, 'Because you were wearing something Armani'. Is it any wonder he got the job?" Ford worked as a design assistant for Hardwick for two years.

In 1988, Ford moved to Perry Ellis, where he knew both Robert McDonald, the company's president, and Marc Jacobs, its designer, socially. He stayed at the company for two years, but grew tired of working in American fashion. In a later interview with the New York Times, he commented, "If I was ever going to become a good designer, I had to leave America. My own culture was inhibiting me. Too much style in America is tacky. It's looked down upon to be too stylish. Europeans, however, appreciate style." Ford would soon have the opportunity to enter the world of European fashion: Gucci, a faltering luxury goods company, was seeking to strengthen its women's ready-to-wear presence as a part of its brand overhaul. At the time, "no one would dream of wearing Gucci," said Dawn Mello, then the company's creative director. Mello hired Ford—then a near-unknown—as the brand's chief women's ready-to-wear designer in 1990. "I was talking to a lot of people, and most didn't want the job," Mello said. "For an American designer to move to Italy to join a company that was far from being a brand would have been pretty risky." Ford and his longtime partner, fashion journalist Richard Buckley, relocated to Milan that September.

Ford's role at Gucci rapidly expanded: he was designing menswear within six months, and shoes soon after that. When Richard Lambertson left as design director in 1992, Ford took over his position, heading the brand's ready-to-wear, fragrances, image, advertising, and store design. In 1993, when he was in charge of designing eleven product lines, Ford worked eighteen-hour days. During these years, there were creative tensions between Ford and Maurizio Gucci, the company's chairman and 50% owner. According to Mello, "Maurizio always wanted everything to be round and brown, and Tom wanted to make it square and black." Though Maurizio Gucci wanted to fire Ford, Domenico de Sole insisted that he remain. Nonetheless, Ford's work during the early 1990s was primarily behind the scenes; his contributions to Gucci were overshadowed by those of Mello, who was the company's public face.

Gucci and YSL creative director (1994–2004)[link]

In 1994, Ford was promoted to creative director. In his first year at the helm, he was credited with putting the glamour back into fashion introducing Halston-style velvet hipsters, skinny satin shirts and car-finish metallic patent boots. In 1995, he brought in French stylist Carine Roitfeld and photographer Mario Testino to create a series of new, modern ad campaigns for the company. Between 1995 and 1996, sales at Gucci increased by 90%. On the strength of Ford's collections, Gucci went public in October 1995 with an IPO of $22 per share, followed by an additional global offering in March 1996 at $48 per share and a third offering in 1999 at $75 per share. In early 1999, luxury goods conglomerate LVMH, headed by Bernard Arnault, increased its shareholdings in Gucci with a view to takeover. Domenico de Sole reacted by issuing new shares of stock in an effort to dilute the value of Arnault's holdings. Ford and De Sole also approached French holding company Pinault-Printemps-Redoute (PPR) about the possibility of forming a strategic alliance. François Pinault, the company’s founder, agreed to the idea and purchased 37 million shares in the company, or a 40% stake. Arnault’s share was diluted to 20%. At one point, Ford was the largest individual shareholder of Gucci stock and options.

By 1999, the house, which had been almost bankrupt when Ford joined, was valued at about $4.3 billion. When Ford left in 2004, Gucci Group was valued at $10 billion.

When Gucci acquired the house of Yves Saint Laurent (YSL), Ford was named the creative director of that label as well. During his time as Creative Director for YSL, Ford won numerous Council of Fashion Designers of America Awards. Like his work at Gucci, Ford was able to catapult the classic fashion house back into the mainstream. His advertising campaigns for the YSL fragrances Opium (with a red-haired Sophie Dahl completely naked wearing only a necklace and stiletto heels in a sexually suggestive pose) and YSL M7 (with martial arts champion Samuel de Cubber in complete full-frontal nudity) have been famous and provocative by pushing fragrance ads to a new level of creativity in artistic expression and commercial impact.

In April 2004, Ford parted ways with the Gucci group after he and CEO Domenico de Sole, who is credited as Ford's partner in Gucci's success, failed to agree with PPR bosses over artistic control of the Group.

Tom Ford (2004–present)[link]

Tom Ford boutique in The Crystals (Las Vegas)

In March 2011, Ford was featured as the cover star of the bi-annual publication AnOther Man, the fraternal counterpart to Another Magazine, giving his opinion on what makes the modern day gentleman. He was interviewed by the magazine's founder Jefferson Hack for the featured article.^[18]

Career as a film director[link]

This biographical section of an article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (July 2011)

In March 2005, Ford announced the opening of his film production company, FADE TO BLACK. In 2009, Ford made his film directorial debut with A Single Man, which was based on the novel of the same name by Christopher Isherwood. The film stars Colin Firth, Julianne Moore, Nicholas Hoult and Matthew Goode. The screenplay was adapted by Ford and David Scearce. Ford also produced the film, which premiered on September 11, 2009 at the 66th Venice International Film Festival and was nominated for a Golden Lion. Colin Firth, who plays the protagonist George, was awarded the Volpi Cup as Best Actor for his performance and was also nominated for an Academy Award, Golden Globe, Independent Spirit Award and Screen Actors Guild Award. He won the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role. Julianne Moore was nominated for Best Supporting Actress and Abel Korzeniowski for Best Original Score at the Golden Globes. Tom Ford was nominated for two Independent Spirit Awards in 2009 including Best First Feature and Best First Screenplay.

Personal life[link]

Tom Ford is openly gay, and he and his partner, journalist Richard Buckley, have been together since 1986.^[19] Buckley was the former Editor in Chief of Vogue Hommes International. Buckley was diagnosed with cancer in 1989 and after his recovery the two moved from New York to Italy.^[20]

The couple has owned three smooth fox terriers. Their first dog, named John, lived 14 years with Ford and Buckley, and appeared on the runway and in some photos with Ford. Currently, they own Angus and India, who are six and four years old, respectively. These smooth fox terriers appeared in Ford's movie A Single Man.^[20]

Awards and nominations[link]

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Ford has been recognized by important design and cultural councils worldwide including the Cooper Hewitt Design Museum and TIME.

• 1995: International Award – Council of Fashion Designers of America
• 1997: People Magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People
• 1999: Style Icon Award – Elle Style Awards UK
• 2000: Best International Designer – VH1/Vogue Awards
• 2000: Fashion Editors Club of Japan Award
• 2000: British GQ International Man of the Year Award
• 2000: Superstar Award – Fashion Group International
• 2001: Womenswear Designer of the Year – Council of Fashion Designers of America
• 2001: Best Fashion Designer – TIME Magazine
• 2001: Designer of the Year – GQ USA
• 2001: Board of Directors Special Tribute – Council of Fashion Designers of America
• 2002: Accessory Designer of the Year Award for Yves Saint-Laurent – Council of Fashion Designers of America
• 2003: Fashion Design Achievement Award – Cooper Hewitt Design Museum's National Design Awards
• 2004: Rodeo Drive Walk of Style Award
• 2004: International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame
• 2005: Andre Leon Talley Lifetime Achievement Award – Savannah College of Art & Design
• 2006: Accessory Brand Launch – Accessories Council Excellence (ACE) Awards ^[21]
• 2007: GLAAD Media Awards – Victor Russo Award
• 2007: DNR's Person of the Year
• 2008: Menswear Designer of the Year – Council of Fashion Designers of America
• 2009: Venice Film Festival – Golden Lion for A Single Man (Nominee)
• 2009: Venice Film Festival – Queer Lion for A Single Man
• 2009: Critics Choice Awards – Best Adapted Screenplay for A Single Man (Nominee)
• 2009: Independent Spirit Awards – Best First Screenplay for A Single Man (Nominee)
• 2009: Independent Spirit Awards – Best First Feature for A Single Man (Nominee)
• 2009: Honored as one of GQ USA's Men of the Year
• 2009: GQ Germany Man of the Year
• 2010: GLAAD Media Awards – Outstanding Film Wide Release for A Single Man
• 2010: Menswear Designer of the Year – Council of Fashion Designers of America (Nominee)

Further reading[link]

• Tom Ford with Graydon Carter and Anna Wintour. Tom Ford. Thames & Hudson (2004). ISBN 0-500-51197-7.

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Tom Ford

• Official Tom Ford homepage
• Tom Ford fanpage
• Tom Ford designer profile at Fashion Model Directory
• Tom Ford at the Internet Movie Database