Estee Lauder, a division of The Estee Lauder Companies Inc, has formed a first-of-its-kind multi-year creative collaboration with renowned fashion designer Tom Ford that will create Tom Ford beauty business.

The alliance marks the first major business initiative by newly appointed Estee Lauder global brand president John Demsey, and the first time that the Estee Lauder brand has partnered with an outside fashion designer.

In a statement recently, Estee Lauder said the collaboration would involve two phases. For the first phase, Ford will collaborate with Estee Lauder in the creation of a Tom Ford for Estee Lauder line to be sold at Estee Lauder counters. He will design a limited range of products in time for the Holiday 2005 season for specialty distribution, followed by a more extensive collection for Spring 2006 for broader distribution.

In the second phase, Ford will launch a separate, stand-alone Tom Ford beauty brand to create and market fragrance and other related products for Fall 2006.

Demsey said: “Tom Ford is a fashion industry icon in the same way that Estee Lauder is a beauty industry icon. It’s a perfect match of luxury; style and beauty, which we are confident will resonate with consumers around the world.”

It said Ford is widely credited with reviving both Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent through influential collections and provocative advertising campaigns.

Estee Lauder senior vice president for global creative directions Aerin Lauder said the company had always partnered with the best talents of every generation.

“Tom Ford is a true visionary who instinctively knows what consumers want and how to communicate a strong, style-driven image,” said Aerin.

Source: Theedgedaily.com