FROM GLOBAL ROOTS TO GLOBAL RECOGNITION

Haider Ackermann Reflects on Earning GQ's Top Honor and Shaping the Future of Tom Ford

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A Times Studios President Anna Magzanyan recently sat down with Haider Ackermann, Creative Director of Tom Ford and Canada Goose, for a conversation on the Business Innovators Unplugged podcast. Fresh off being named GQ's Fashion Designer of the Year, Ackermann reflected on his global upbringing, creative evolution and the meaning of modern luxury.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

Anna: Haider, congratulations, first of all, again for being named GQ's Fashion Designer of the Year. How are you feeling today?

Haider: Nervous, excited. I mean, it's a very strange place to be in at the moment. I had a terrific year behind me, and then you get this nomination, and you're here in Los Angeles, and I'm interviewed by you. So it's a roller coaster of emotions at the moment, but, yeah, very humbling and very, very honored. But you question yourself, like, what does it mean to be designer of the year?

Anna: I want to take us back and start at the beginning, Haider. I want to learn about your upbringing. Can you tell me a little bit about your background?

Haider: Well, I'm born Colombian, adopted by French parents, with a Korean brother and a Vietnamese sister. Throughout my childhood, we lived in Africa - Ethiopia, Algeria - then we moved to Holland, and later I moved to Belgium. So I had this very nomadic life, strangely not belonging anywhere. It's a very strange feeling, but it gives you a certain sense of freedom, and that's very liberating.

Anna: How do you think those global influences shaped you - yourself and maybe your eye for beauty?