Tom Ford Fashion has opened a 4,428-square-foot store at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, Calif., with two more units — at Bal Harbour Shops in Florida and UTC Westfield in San Diego — set to follow later this month. The three openings will lift the brand's directly operated U.S. network from 13 to 16 stores, out of 67 globally.

The Estée Lauder Cos., which acquired Tom Ford's company in November 2022 in a deal valued at $2.8 billion, owns the brand outright and operates it under long-term licenses: Ermenegildo Zegna Group holds the Tom Ford Fashion license, while Italy's Marcolin produces the brand's eyewear.

"The U.S. is a key market for Tom Ford Fashion and an important engine of our growth," chief executive officer Lelio Gavazza, who joined the brand in September 2023 from Bulgari, where he was executive vice president, sales and retail, told WWD.

The retail push comes as the Zegna group's numbers show momentum. In the first half, group sales rose 6.4 percent to 987.3 million euros, up 9.3 percent organically. Tom Ford Fashion specifically recorded revenues of 156.8 million euros, up 2.7 percent year-over-year and up 6.4 percent in organic terms — a result the company ties to the spring collection designed by Haider Ackermann, appointed creative director in 2024. Ackermann presented his fall collection in Paris on Wednesday as part of the city's fashion week.

Gavazza framed the directly operated channel as the growth engine. "The strength of the business comes from the combination of a powerful and distinctive brand, a loyal and highly engaged client base, and the continued evolution of our men's and women's collections," he said. "Our direct-to-consumer model allows us to build closer relationships with our clients and translate strong brand desirability into sustained organic growth."

All three new boutiques will carry the full product range — ready-to-wear for men and women, leather goods, fragrance, beauty, eyewear and underwear — plus made-to-measure garments. Gavazza called made-to-measure "an essential part of this proposition and a true differentiator for Tom Ford Fashion business," noting it draws on the Ermenegildo Zegna Group's tailoring capabilities. "Together with our ready-to-wear collections, it strengthens the relationship with our clients and reinforces Tom Ford's position as a complete luxury fashion house," he said.

The store formats follow a consistent design template. The Costa Mesa unit, in the rotunda of Jewel Court at South Coast Plaza, features a Carrara Nuvolato marble, limestone plaster and polished chrome façade, with Newport white marble in the women's area, Cala Paonazzo in cosmetics, Calacatta in fragrance and eyewear, and black granite in men's, plus fireplaces in separate men's and women's lounges. Bal Harbour, at 3,456 square feet, uses Himalayan white marble on its façade and Bleu de Savoie marble in the women's area. The 3,240-square-foot San Diego unit replicates the Bal Harbour blueprint with a Carrara Nuvolato façade.

Wholesale remains part of the U.S. mix, though clearly secondary. The brand maintains "a selective, high-quality distribution that reflects the positioning and exclusivity of the brand" in that channel, Gavazza said, but "retail and our direct-to-consumer channel" are the primary growth drivers going forward.

The expansion aligns with Zegna group priorities laid out in July by group CEO Gianluca Tagliabue, who said the company is "pumping up the volume" on Tom Ford Fashion, banking on January's Paris store opening to "amplify the message." Tagliabue identified women's ready-to-wear as the fastest-growing category, pointed to "untapped daywear opportunities," and flagged made-to-measure and women's tailoring as focus areas with "short lead time and the potential to expand the brand's client base."

With the Americas already delivering solid growth under the group's retail-first model, the three U.S. openings will test whether directly operated full-range stores can convert brand desirability into sustained organic gains through 2025.