Thom Browne

Thom Browne (born September 27, 1965) is an American fashion designer and the founder and head of design for Thom Browne, a luxury fashion brand based in New York City. Browne debuted his womenswear collection in 2014.

In 2023, Browne became the chairman of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, succeeding Tom Ford.

Early life and education Browne was born on September 27, 1965, in Allentown, Pennsylvania, into an Irish-Italian family. He attended Catholic school until seventh grade and served as an altar boy,

Browne pursued an acting career in Los Angeles from 1992 to 1998. He added the "H" to his birth name Tom because his name was taken by someone else in the Screen Actors Guild. He also worked as a production assistant and script reader on films. with its first shop in New York's West Village. Thom Grey was a one-year-only project and was subsequently discontinued.

The brand's first external investor, Japan's Stripe International (formerly Cross), gave the company the capital it needed to recover from the 2008 financial crisis, before selling its stake on to Sandbridge Capital – a private equity firm whose advisors included Tommy Hilfiger, Domenico De Sole and Dominique de Villepin – the brand launched its women's wear line in 2011; by 2021, it comprised nearly half the company's revenue. two years later, it increased its share to 90 percent. at Paris Fashion Week.

Browne has produced four films that accompanied his collections, including the spring 2007 short "The Septemberists" (in collaboration with Anthony Goicolea); a 10-minute black-and-white film starring skier Lindsey Vonn for his fall 2021 women's collection; and the 29-minute "Looking Forward to Tomorrow" depicting the loneliness of marathon training for his spring 2022 men's collection. The brand brought its sunglasses business in-house in 2022.

The brand's childrenwear range was launched in 2021.

Collaborations In September 2006, Brooks Brothers announced its partnership with Browne as part of a guest designer program to create and distribute a 50-piece men's and women's high-end collection, Black Fleece by Brooks Brothers.

The line appeared exclusively in 30 Brooks Brothers stores worldwide beginning in September 2007. In July 2008, Thom Browne and Brooks Brothers announced they would continue their partnership in the Black Fleece collection for another three years. Brooks Brothers opened a standalone Black Fleece store located in New York City's West Village.

In 2008, Browne teamed up with the Italian sportswear company and down apparel specialist Moncler to design their men's top line Moncler Gamme Bleu, which launched in January 2009. The line was shown at Milan Fashion Week.

In September 2020, Browne made a scarf as part of Joe Biden's "Believe in Better" fashion collection, which included collaborations from 18 other fashion designers around the country as part of the Biden's 2020 presidential campaign. His scarf, along with the rest of the collection, was made in unionized factories and is available for purchase; all purchase proceeds were donated to Biden's presidential campaign.

Style and themes Browne's style and themes revolve around blending traditional menswear with avant-garde elements. His designs are both classic and subversive, rooted in the gray suit but transformed into fashion statements through unconventional cuts, proportions, and androgynous detailing. Browne frequently explores the concept of the "uniform", with his collections adhering to a strict aesthetic code while allowing for personal expression within the structure. He creates a cohesive identity across his brand but emphasizing the duality of uniformity.

Marketing Thom Browne has dressed teams including the Cleveland Cavaliers and FC Barcelona. CFDA Menswear Designer of the Year Award, 2006, 2013, and 2016 Pratt Institute Pratt Fashion Visionary Award, 2013 Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) Couture Council Award for Artistry of Fashion, 2017 100 most influential people in the world by Time, 2023

Legal issues Thom Browne long used a three-bar design on its clothing, only changing it to the four-stripe design after Adidas objected in 2007. Adidas sued Thom Browne's brand in 2021, claiming Thom Browne's four-bar and "Grosgrain" stripe patterns on its shoes and high-end activewear violated its three-stripe trademark rights. A jury determined in 2023 that the Thom Browne designs were not likely to cause customer confusion with Adidas' products and did not violate the company's trademark rights. who is curator at the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan. His older brother, Pat Browne, is a former member of the Pennsylvania State Senate and Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue.

In 2019, Browne and Bolton purchased and renovated a 7,000-square-foot, 15-room Sutton Place mansion formerly owned by the philanthropist Drue Heinz.