TOM FORD, the luxury fashion house, is entering the Armenian market, with its first boutique set to open in Yerevan’s historic AOKS Building at 3 Abovyan Street in early 2027, reports Zartonk Media.
Z&A, the Yerevan-based fashion retailer that holds Tom Ford’s franchise rights in Armenia, is bringing one of the best-known names in luxury fashion into a building that has stood on Abovyan Street for more than a century. Z&A confirmed the early 2027 timing to Zartonk Media.
American designer Tom Ford launched the label in 2005. It spans fashion, accessories, fragrances and cosmetics.
The Estée Lauder Companies agreed in 2022 to buy the brand and all of its intellectual property, in a deal with a total enterprise value of $2.8 billion, which reflects the brand’s global market value.
Zegna Group holds the long-term license for Tom Ford’s men’s and women’s fashion, accessories and underwear. Z&A already represents ZEGNA in Armenia.
Z&A has worked in fashion retail for 20 years and represents international fashion houses across Armenia, Georgia and Hungary. Its portfolio runs across menswear, womenswear, accessories and lifestyle, and includes ZEGNA, Burberry, Polo Ralph Lauren, Emporio Armani, HUGO, BOSS, Sandro and Maje, among others.
The building it is moving into is one of the oldest still standing in Yerevan. Architect Boris Mehrabyan built it in 1915, beside what is now Republic Square, for Dr. Hovhannes Hovhannisyan, chief physician at the Yerevan Public Hospital, who used the ground floor as a private surgical hospital.
Soviet authorities seized the two-story black tuff building in 1923. It housed a malaria institute until 1944, when it was handed to the Armenian Society for Friendship and Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries, the body that gave it the name AOKS, from the Russian acronym. The building is listed on Yerevan’s register of historical-cultural landmarks.
Z&A also plans to bring Brioni, the Italian luxury menswear house, to Armenia.
The arrival of Tom Ford comes as Z&A enters a new phase of development. The company recently unveiled a refreshed visual identity, which it describes as a new chapter in its growth and a reflection of its expanding international ambitions. It is preparing to open a Sandro boutique in Budapest, and the flagship store of the Armenian fashion brand HAYELI is expected to open in New York’s SoHo.
Z&A said the addition of Tom Ford reinforces its commitment to bringing international luxury fashion houses to Armenia and to the continued development of the country’s luxury retail sector.
