Tom Ford Beauty is going all-in on makeup with a new focus on lips and top-tier spokespeople.
Angelina Jolie will be the face of the brand’s first beauty celebrity, launching its Runway Lip Color range globally in September. The range will have 18 shades (10 existing and 8 new) and will replace the existing Lip Color lipstick series. The relaunch will also see the release of Runway Lip Pencils in eight shades, with prices starting at $46 for the pencils and ranging from $62 for the lipsticks.
The move comes at a pivotal time for the company: In fiscal year 2024, “Tom Ford net sales (of makeup) decreased, primarily due to a decrease in net sales in the lip sub-category,” according to an SEC filing from parent company Estée Lauder Co., which acquired Tom Ford for $2.3 billion in 2023.
But the fragrance industry appears to be showing some bright spots: Lauder’s luxury fragrances, where Tom Ford is a key player, saw mid-single-digit growth, according to the filing.
Still, the health of the lipstick business depends on getting it back on track: It is one of the biggest categories in the overall business after fragrance and the largest within Tom Ford’s cosmetics line, said Guillaume Jessel, the brand’s president and CEO, who took the top job last year after nearly a decade with the brand.
“Tom Ford Beauty is on track to achieve $1 billion in annual net sales over the next few years,” Jessel said, confirming earlier reports that the brand was close to that goal. Jessel would not comment on sales of Runway Lip Color, but industry sources expect the line to reach a retail value of $50 million within 12 months of its launch.
“We have demonstrated steady growth over the long term, which has been sustainable and very profitable, particularly post-acquisition,” he said.Lauder’s purchase of the entire business, valued at $2.8 billion, marks the beauty giant’s first foray into fashion and eyewear, with Ermenegildo Zegna Group and Marcolin holding the licenses for Tom Ford Fashion and Tom Ford Eyewear, respectively.
Jessel’s broadened horizons have changed the way he thinks about beauty and how his diverse products work together. “Beauty, fashion and eyewear are the core areas of the brand,” he says. “The brand will continue to be strong, and that starts with brand equity. Tom Ford’s long-term licensees understand a shared vision of what luxury means, how to build a brand and how to expand the brand.”
Part of that vision is bridging the gap between the fashion and beauty industries, Jessel says: “The three industries resonate with each other and have always worked together under Tom’s direction. My role is to maintain how those three industries work together and stay true to Tom’s vision.”
Ford left the company last year, and creative leadership was moved to Peter Hawkings, who announced his departure last month. Jessel declined to comment on the search for new creative talent, but said, “Together with our creative directors and licensees, we have to protect (Ford’s) vision.”
Zegna Group said in July that sales from its Tom Ford fashion business reached 148.5 million euros in the first half of the year, up 4.7 percent, driven by the United States and the brand’s website.
Jessel’s mission is to “continue to operate Tom Ford as a vertically integrated brand, integrating strategy, brand code and innovation across fashion, beauty and eyewear,” he said. “We need to attract world-class talent, and that means in the areas of creative product development and marketing.”
The revamped product is called Runway Lip Color, and it reflects that blueprint. “Runway is one of those franchises that communicates our connection to fashion as the brand becomes more prevalent,” says Jessel. “Lips are the ultimate fashion accessory, the carrier of our brand DNA and are central to our brand identity.”
So Jolie’s campaign, photographed by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott, reflects Ford’s own work as an auteur. “In terms of the celebrity aspect, the connection to film was something that was just natural. Tom is a film director and he shot a lot of the photography himself,” Jessel said. “That connection to film and the cinematic aspect of the visual imagery that he’s created for the brand is what sets us apart from anyone else and is integral to our DNA.”
In the visual, Jolie is wearing her go-to shade, Scarlet Rouge. “It’s a beautiful color and texture,” Jolie said in an email. “A good red lip needs very little else; it’s applied with intention. That was part of the discussion.”
Her appeal mimics the broad target demographic Jessel is going after with the relaunch: “She has broad appeal and global appeal. We’re very internationally branded and well diversified around the world. And her appeal to Gen Z is really interesting,” he said.
The new shade range will include classic shades such as Scarlet Rouge, designed to appeal to a broader customer base, as well as an expanded nude lineup. “The two moves that have shifted the Tom Ford brand to a younger customer are specialty and multi-store expansion, and the expansion into China,” Jessel says. “The average consumer in China is a little younger, and the brand appeals to a broader customer base.”
China remains a focus area for Lauder, but prestige beauty sales there have reportedly softened.
Photos from the campaign will be released in September, followed by a video in October. “Lips are a public facing category, and when we talk about makeup, we talk about the transformative power of makeup and finding another persona within yourself,” Jessel said.
