Tom Ford buys $104 million mansion in London

Billionaire fashion designer Tom Ford bought a mansion in London’s Chelsea district for $104 million (£80 million), according to records Bloomberghis sources.

The home became the most expensive residence to sell in the UK this year after the deal closed this summer. Notably, the previous owner bought the mansion for around $20m (£16m) nearly 20 years ago.

Ford’s London home is the latest addition to his property empire, which currently includes homes in New York, Los Angeles, Aspen, Palm Beach and the Hamptons worth more than $250m (£191m), according to secured property records through MSN.

The prolific designer, who served as creative director of Gucci before founding his own label with former Gucci CEO Domenico De Sole in 2005, sold its namesake brand to Estée Lauder in a deal valued at $2.8 billion (£2.1 billion) in November 2022. The sale pushed Ford’s net worth to $2 billion (£1.5 billion).

Rumors of Ford’s departure reached new heights after the sale closed – and after the tragic death of his partner Richard Buckley in 2021, many felt it might give the designer a moment to himself.

After 13 years at the helm of his namesake brand, Ford officially resigned as creative director last April, bidding farewell to fashion with his final collection for fall 2023. His brand is now led by Haider Ackermann, who took the chair of creative director in September, after Peter Hawkings brief stint in the role.