Why Tom Ford Refusing to Dress Melania Trump as First Lady Became Extremely Controversial

When certain tweets surfaced online in 2020, claiming that renowned fashion designer Tom Ford had made derogatory statements about the former First Lady Melania Trump, the internet exploded. As mentioned by Teen Vogue, an (unverified) rumor had it that Ford called Melania a 'glorified escort who steals speeches and has bad taste in men.' The purported remark, which seemed to show contempt for Trump, went viral very fast. Ford, however, quickly denied the allegation in an interview with WWD, claiming that the comment was completely made up and that he had said no such thing.  

"Never! Never, ever, ever, have I said that Melania was an escort," the CFDA chairman said. "I said on The View years ago, before [Trump] was elected, that I would not dress her nor would I dress Hillary Clinton because the First Lady and the President in the White House need to be wearing clothes made in America — mine are not — and clothes at a price point that most Americans can relate to and my clothes are too expensive."

The designer added, "I dressed Michelle Obama once and once only when she was in England for a white-tie dinner party with the Queen and I was living in London, and that was different. That’s all I said. I’ve never said anything derogatory about Melania. I never would say anything derogatory. It’s so weird, isn’t it, in today’s world the way someone out of nowhere can just make up a random quote and start circulating it on the Internet."

The original tweet was shared more than 3000 times before it was taken down by the user, who later apologized and said he was confused by a Daily Mail report. Many Twitter users also mentioned they had been unable to determine the quote's original source. To this, Ford said, "They’re never going to find it because I never said it."

In a previous interview at the 2017 Golden Globes, Ford reiterated his perspective to Elle, “Given this President’s beliefs about ‘made in America,’ I think the clothes they wear should be made in America... My clothes are made in Italy, they're very, very expensive. I don't think most women or men in our country can relate to that, and I think the First Lady or the President should represent all people.”

Ford's position on how political officials should be dressed seemingly goes beyond party lines. Given that several designers had refused to dress Melania because of political reasons, Ford's words added a fresh perspective to the conversation. Yet, it doesn't disregard the fact that ever since Donald Trump's political career kicked off, the Trump women, be it Tiffany, Ivanka, or Melania, were having difficulty finding any designers to work with. A source told People in 2016, "Designers wouldn’t lend to Melania, Ivanka or Tiffany, so they either bought the items themselves or wore Ivanka’s brand."