Haider Ackermann Named WWD's 2026 Womenswear Designer of the Year
Haider Ackermann has been named the recipient of WWD's 2026 Honor for Womenswear Designer of the Year. WWD, formerly Women's Wear Daily, is the US trade publication that covers the fashion business.
Ackermann works for two brands with very different histories. He creates collections for Tom Ford, the American fashion label, where he became creative director in 2024. He is also the first-ever Creative Director of Canada Goose, the Canadian maker of winter outerwear, a role the company announced in May 2024. A creative director sets the look of a brand's collections, from the clothes to the way they are shown.
For Canada Goose, Ackermann is based in Paris and works alongside Chairman and Chief Executive Dani Reiss. His seasonal collections for the company come out twice a year.
Ackermann was born in Bogotá, Colombia. He has lived in Ethiopia, Chad, Algeria, the Netherlands, Belgium and France.
In an interview with Luisa Zargani, WWD's Milan bureau chief, he described how he starts a Tom Ford collection. He begins with music, choosing the songs first, and he settles the hair and makeup before the clothes are finished. He described the process as cinematographic, closer to making a film than to drawing a dress.
He also recalled how the Tom Ford job began. Ackermann said Tom Ford phoned him to offer the creative director role, and he accepted on instinct.
Ackermann was a speaker at the WWD Apparel and Retail CEO Summit 2026, where he discussed how he manages his roles at Tom Ford and Canada Goose at the same time. The trade publication's honour recognises his work on womenswear, the clothing designed for women.
The interview and the award put two of his busiest jobs in one place. Tom Ford and Canada Goose sell to very different customers, and his name now sits on both.
