James Ford (fashion designer)

James Ford is a Los Angeles-based fashion designer known for his playful, energetic, genre-mixing style. He was a competitor on Netflix's Next in Fashion in 2023, hosted by Gigi Hadid and Tan France.

Early life and education
Ford was born and raised in Kentucky. In 2009 he moved to Fort Collins, Colorado. Ford was a high school athlete playing basketball, baseball, soccer and track, achieving many notable awards and distinctions. In 2013 he graduated from Colorado State University with a B.S. in Construction Engineering, he later earned an M.A. in 2017 from the University of Southern California in Fashion Journalism.

Career
Ford worked in commercial fashion for the luxury cashmere brand, the Elder Statesman, an LA-based workwear company Hedley & Bennett, among other brands.

In 2020, he started his own line, Rowena Social Club, where he remains the President and Creative Director. The brand is an e-comm clothing and apparel line, focusing on serving the LGBTQ market both in the U.S. and internationally.

Since then, he has styled and designed for many celebrities, including Beth Dover (Orange Is the New Black), Melissa Fumero (Brooklyn Nine-Nine), Andrew McMahon (Something Corporate, Jack's Mannequin), ND Stevenson (Nimona), and Fortune Feimster (Handsome podcast, Netflix).

Next in Fashion
Ford was a contestant on Season 2 of Netflix's Next in Fashion, hosted by Gigi Hadid and Tan France. His work captured the heart of fashion luminaries such as Donatella Versace, Jason Bolden, Gabriella Karefa-Johnson, Isabel Marant, Helena Christensen, and Emma Chamberlain.

Ford completed 5 episodes, being eliminated on the 5th challenge. The decision was an emotional moment on the show, the hosts struggled to dismiss him from the competition.

Fashion Awards and Recognition
Ford was awarded the "Best Emerging Designer" in June 2023 by I Am Musicology for his exceptional work in fashion culture. He was also honored at USC receiving the Jack Langguth Award in 2019 for his contribution to journalism.

Outfit the Podcast
Ford published two seasons totaling 9 episodes of his podcast, Outfit, which explores the relationship of the LGBTQ community and their clothing. This served as his Master's Thesis in Fashion Journalism, from 2017-2019. His podcast went on to be featured on Elle Canada's Top 9 Best Fashion Podcasts of 2019, alongside the Gucci podcast during Alessandro Michele's era, Barney's, and "Wardrobe Crisis".