T
om Ford is ending 2024 with a record-breaking real estate purchase in London. The American fashion designer has bought a £80 million ($104 million) manor house in the affluent Chelsea district, making it the UK's largest residential transaction of the year. This deal comes despite a decline in luxury sales in London due to tax increases on wealthy expats.

    The mansion, with its white stucco frontage, is located near Hyde Park and the River Thames. Sources close to the deal say Ford acquired the property through an off-market sale over the summer. The previous owner had purchased it for around $20 million (£16 million) nearly 20 years ago.

    Ford's new purchase brings his global real estate collection to a value of $300 million, according to The Times. His wealth has grown significantly since selling his fashion label to Estée Lauder for $2.8 billion in 2022. With more financial freedom, Ford has been updating his property portfolio, having recently sold his London home and acquired several other high-end properties, including a mansion in Palm Beach, Florida, and a Hamptons estate previously owned by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.