TOM FRIED

THE DESIGNER

The Introverted Duo Behind a Global Fashion Statement

In fashion, where most designers begin with sketches, Tom Fried begins with collaboration. Built by two introverts — Ruby, a meticulous pattern maker, and Thomas, a wanderer who roams the world — the brand embodies both precision and adventure.

Ruby discovered early in Hanoi that patterns are the architecture of possibility. She spent years as an anonymous pattern maker and cutter — the invisible hands behind other people’s collections. “I was the girl in the backroom,” she recalls. “Cutting, checking, pinning, staying late until every piece matched. It wasn’t glamorous, but it taught me the architecture of fashion.”

Thomas, meanwhile, explores the world, absorbing influences from every fashion capital. In New York, he became a quiet regular at both Saks Fifth Avenue and Bergdorf Goodman, climbing to their famed fourth floors where the most important designer collections hang. Paris brought him to Le Bon Marché and Galeries Lafayette, Milan to La Rinascente, and London to Selfridges and Harrods. Each store was a masterclass, each street a lesson.

Together, Ruby and Thomas fuse their experiences. Her exacting precision and his global vision converge in every piece, creating clothes that reflect the soul of their journeys and the spirit of discovery.

Their Paris debut collection is a love letter to this collaboration. Tom Fried carries the DNA of everywhere they have been: the discipline of Hanoi, the precision of New York, the sophistication of Paris, the passion of Milan, and the wit of London — all stitched together in a singular, thoughtful vision.

“Fashion is a passport,” Ruby says. “Every dart, every seam, every hem is stamped with a place we’ve been, a detail we’ve learned, a feeling we’ve captured.”

And like the storied department stores and global streets that shaped them, Tom Fried’s clothes are more than garments. They are experiences — meant to be touched, tried, lived in, and remembered.