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Tan France

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Tan France
France in June 2018
Born
Tanveer Wasim Safdar

(1983-04-20) 20 April 1983 (age 41)
Doncaster, England
EducationDoncaster College
Occupations
  • Fashion designer
  • entrepreneur
  • television personality
Years active2011–present
Spouse
Rob France
​
(m. 2007)​
Children2

Tanveer Wasim "Tan" France (né Safdar; born 20 April 1983) is a British-American fashion designer, entrepreneur, and television personality.[1] He is best known as the fashion expert for the Netflix series Queer Eye, host of the web series Dressing Funny, and co-host of Next in Fashion.[2][3][4] His memoir, Naturally Tan, was released in June 2019.[5] Of Pakistani descent, he is one of the first openly gay South Asian men on a major show,[a][12] and one of the first openly gay Muslim men on western television.[12]

Early life

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France was born Tanveer Wasim Safdar in Doncaster on 20 April 1983, the son of Muslim Pakistani immigrant parents.[13] In his memoir, he discussed his feelings of alienation growing up in Doncaster in a household where homosexuality was viewed negatively, the lack of representation in media of his community (and of LGBTQ Pakistanis in particular), and his personal experiences of physical and verbal racism as both a child and an adult. He said, "Our home wasn't super religious but we had a profound connection to our Muslim heritage."[14][2]

France's interest in fashion began at a young age, inspired by the Disney-themed clothing that was made in his grandparents' denim factory in Bury, Greater Manchester, where he spent time working.[15] By the age of 13, he had learned how to construct and embellish a denim jacket. In 2019, he learned that his grandfather had allegedly been forced to close the factory because it was turning out Disney knockoffs.[16] He attended Hall Cross School and later studied fashion at Doncaster College,[17] after which he moved to Manchester and then to London.[18]

Career

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France began work as a designer and director for Zara,[15] Selfridges, and Bershka, among others, to develop an understanding of the wholesale, retail, and manufacturing elements of the fashion industry.[19] He started working in menswear before shifting his focus to women's fashion, which he majored in for his degree. France said that he would often work as a stylist if a high-profile client came into a store where he was working.

France began working in the United States in 2008, initially living in New York City, and emigrated there in 2015.[18] He was company director at Shade Clothing before opening his own fashion company, Kingdom & State, in 2011.[15][20] The brand included apparel designed to meet Mormon clothing guidelines, as the group represents a significant population in Utah, where the company is based.[2] He later created two smaller apparel brands. France's designs were purchased by retailers ModCloth and Forever 21.[21] In 2016 he became co-founder, designer, and CEO of the Rachel Parcell Inc clothing line, which was sold at Nordstrom.[22]

After selling his businesses,[23][24] France officially retired, intending to start a family with his husband, until he was contacted by Netflix. This started his journey as a media figure through his role as the fashion expert on the rebooted series Queer Eye, which premiered in February 2018. In 2019, France appeared in the music video for Taylor Swift's song "You Need to Calm Down".[25] He also appeared in 2020 in a special charity edition of The Great British Bake Off to raise funds for Stand Up To Cancer, and was the episode's winner.[26] That year, it was also announced that France would be co-hosting the new Netflix series Next in Fashion with Alexa Chung.[27] In interviews with the ITV programme This Morning and with NPR, France disclosed that he had sold all three of his businesses after starting work for Netflix.[28]

In 2019, France designed an eyewear line in partnership with Eyebuydirect. Since 2019, he has been a Middle East columnist for GQ. In 2020, he became Express's monthly stylist.

France was nominated for an Emmy alongside his Queer Eye co-stars for Best Hosting of a Reality or Competition Program in July 2020. In September 2020, France was announced as a style instructor on MasterClass, an educational streaming video platform.[29][30] In September 2020, the Tan France x Etsy limited edition collection was launched, for which France co-designed a collection of home decor and foods with thirteen independent sellers.

France presented a 2022 BBC Two documentary about colourism titled Beauty and the Bleach.[31] He was then made host of the English countryside-set series Say Yes to the Dress with Tan France (a spin-off of the TLC series),[32] which premiered on Really in August 2023.[33][34]

Personal life

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France currently lives in Salt Lake City, Utah. He married pediatric nurse and illustrator Rob France in 2007,[35][36] originally in London, and again in New York City following the legalization of same-sex marriage in the US. In April 2021, he announced on Instagram that he and his husband were expecting their first child via surrogate.[37] Their son was born seven weeks early on 10 July 2021, and had to spend three weeks in the NICU.[38] In May 2023, France announced on Instagram the arrival of their second son.[39]

Having been "working towards" it for 10 years, France was naturalized as an American citizen on 9 June 2020,[40] giving him dual British and American citizenship.[41] He has discussed his love for cooking and baking, and learned how to cook and sew at the age of nine.[42]

France has been vocal about the colorism, racism, and Islamophobia he has endured throughout his life. In September 2019 he created an Instagram account called Shaded, in which he promotes Black people, people of colour, and cultural diversity.[43][44][45][46][47] In September 2020 he revealed on an episode of The Carlos Watson Show that experiencing racism in the UK was one of his primary reasons for moving to the US.[48]

As construction on their "dream" Salt Lake City home neared completion, France said in 2023 that he and his husband were looking into purchasing a second home in London; France was working more in the UK with Say Yes to the Dress and a forthcoming undisclosed series, and they already visited frequently so the children could stay in touch with their British side.[49]

Books

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France released a memoir, Naturally Tan, in June 2019 through St. Martin's Press.[5] It became an NYT bestseller.[50] It is about his experience growing up "gay in a traditional Muslim family, as one of the few people of colour in Doncaster, England". The memoir starts with his childhood in England where episodes of racism – such as having to run back to school to avoid getting beaten up by racist thugs – were everyday occurrences. The book also discusses colourism across South Asia and the Islamophobia he faced before and after the 9/11 attacks.

Filmography

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Television

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Year Title Role Notes
2018–present Queer Eye Himself Main cast (47 episodes)
2018 Nailed It! Himself Episode: "3, 2, 1...Ya Not Done!!"
Don't Watch This Himself Episode: "Antoni Psycho"
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Fett Ragoso Episode: "I'm Making Up for Lost Time"
2019 The Big Narstie Show Himself Season 2, Episode 1
Lip Sync Battle Himself Episode: Queer Eye
2019–2020 Dressing Funny Himself Host
2019 Big Mouth Himself (voice) Episode: "Disclosure the Movie: The Musical!"
2020–present Next in Fashion[51] Himself Co-Host
2020 The Great Celebrity Bake Off for SU2C Himself Contestant
The Big Process Ep.5 Himself Contestant
Served! Himself Guest
Boost My Business By Facebook Himself Host
Celebrity Family Feud Himself Contestant
2021 Waffles + Mochi Himself Parodying Queer Eye Role
Nickelodeon's Unfiltered Himself Episode: "Rollin' with the Fun Guy!"
Selling Sunset Himself Host - Series 5:The Reunion
2023 The Circle Himself Judge
Home at Last with Tan France[52] Himself Homebuyer
Say Yes to the Dress with Tan France Himself Host

Music videos

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Year Song Artist
2018 "This Is Me (The Reimagined Remix)" Keala Settle, Kesha, & Missy Elliott
2019 "You Need to Calm Down" Taylor Swift

Notes

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  1. ^ Ranj Singh, of Indian Sikh descent, came out as a gay and has appeared on British and international TV since 2012;[6][7] Mawaan Rizwan came out in 2012 and has appeared on British and international television;[8] Tamal Ray came out in 2015 while appearing on The Great British Bake Off televised internationally;[9][10] and Sushant Divgikar is an openly gay Indian TV personality known for his appearance in Bigg Boss.[11]

References

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  1. ^ Ross, Sophie (7 February 2018). "The One Thing You Should Never Wear to a Wedding, According to Tan France of 'Queer Eye'". The Knot. XO. Retrieved 19 February 2018.
  2. ^ a b c Crummy, Colin (9 March 2019). "Queer Eye's Tan France: 'The word gay was never mentioned in my parents' home'". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  3. ^ "Naturally Tan". US Macmillan. Retrieved 6 January 2020.[permanent dead link‍]
  4. ^ Peregrin, Tony (26 June 2019). "BOOKS Tan about town, 'Queer Eye' guru pens new memoir - Gay Lesbian Bi Trans News - Windy City Times". Windy City Times. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  5. ^ a b Peregrin, Tony (26 June 2019). "Books: Tan about town, 'Queer Eye' guru pens new memoir". Windy City Times. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  6. ^ Stroude, Will (5 November 2018). "Strictly's Dr. Ranj Singh: 'Coming out as gay to my wife was hard, but telling my family was another level'". Attitude. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  7. ^ Thompson, Danny (20 November 2018). "Dr Ranj Singh Gaysians cover interview: "As queer Asians, we have so much to offer ourselves and to the wider world"". Gay Times. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  8. ^ Zane, Zachary (27 November 2017). "The Doc 'How Gay is Pakistan?' Is Now on Netflix, and It's Required Viewing for LGBTQ Millennials". Hornet. Archived from the original on 12 April 2020. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  9. ^ McGrath, Rachel (30 October 2015). "'Great British Bake Off' Star Tamal Ray Shares His Coming Out Experience: 'The Conversations Were Canyons of Awkwardness, The Freedoms They Gave Me Were Priceless'". HuffPost. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
  10. ^ Rudolph, Christopher (26 November 2019). "When 'The Great British Bake Off' Met "RuPaul's Drag Race U.K."". LOGO News. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
  11. ^ "I cried like a baby". The Tribune India. 10 April 2020. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
  12. ^ a b Sarner, Lauren (31 January 2020). "'Queer Eye' expert Tan France lands new show 'Next in Fashion'". New York Post. Retrieved 14 April 2020. "France is also the first out gay South Asian man – and openly gay Muslim man – on TV".
  13. ^ Bahler, Kristen (20 February 2018). "'Queer Eye' Star Says Getting Dumped Helped Launch His Career". Money.com. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  14. ^ Brown, Steve (11 March 2019). "Tan France says the Asian community aren't seen as 'desirable' due to lack of representation in the media". Attitude. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
  15. ^ a b c Melody (8 December 2014). "An interview with Tan Safdar, Owner and Designer at Kingdom & State". Omika. Archived from the original on 19 March 2016. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
  16. ^ Interview, Wednesday, 6 January 2020 episode with Jane Fonda; The Late Show With Stephen Colbert
  17. ^ Thomas, Chris (8 December 2017). "Meet the Five Fab Men of Netflix's Queer Eye Reboot". Out. Retrieved 19 February 2018.
  18. ^ a b Mulkerin, Tim (21 February 2018). "Tan France on his hopes for a second season of Queer Eye and the thousands of DMs about his hair". Mic. Retrieved 10 March 2018.
  19. ^ Shores, Lindsey (13 October 2013). "British fashion in Utah with Kingdom & State". Herald Extra: The Mom Click. Herald Communications. Archived from the original on 1 April 2019. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
  20. ^ "Kingdom & State – About". Kingdom & State. Retrieved 19 February 2018.
  21. ^ France, Tan, Naturally Tan, p. 113, ISBN 978-1-250-21107-1, OCLC 1105752822
  22. ^ O'Connor, Amy (3 June 2019). "Tan France: 'We don't really talk about successful gay relationships'". The Irish Times.
  23. ^ Göksenin, Lili. "Queer Eye's Tan France Is Everything You Want Him To Be". Express.com. Archived from the original on 12 July 2020.
  24. ^ Pasarow, Anabel (15 August 2019). "How Tan France Retired At Age 33 — Yes, Even Before Queer Eye". Refinery29.
  25. ^ Grady, Constance (17 June 2019). "An annotated guide to Taylor Swift's star-studded "You Need to Calm Down" video". Vox. Archived from the original on 17 June 2019. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
  26. ^ Fenwick, George (24 March 2020). "Tan France reveals his deepest, darkest fear on Bake Off". Evening Standard. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
  27. ^ Bruce Haring (17 May 2019). "'Next In Fashion' Reality Competition Will Bow on Netflix, Offering Designers $250K And Showcase". Retrieved 14 January 2020.
  28. ^ Gross, Terry (11 September 2019). "Why Fashion Expert Tan France Nearly Turned Down 'Queer Eye'". NPR.
  29. ^ MasterClass. "MasterClass Announces Queer Eye's Tan France to Teach Style for Everyone" (Press release). PR Newswire. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
  30. ^ Carley, Brennan (11 September 2020). "Back to School With Tan France". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
  31. ^ Cormack, Morgan. "BBC Two's Tan France – Beauty And The Bleach: viewers react to the important documentary, which explores colourism in minority communities". Stylist. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
  32. ^ Roper, Kerri-Ann (21 September 2022). "Tan France becomes new UK host of Say Yes To The Dress". Evening Standard. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
  33. ^ Davis, Rachael; Denman, Amy (8 August 2023). "Queer Eye's Tan France spills on exciting new TV job away from hit Netflix series". Mirror. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
  34. ^ Sarkisian, Jacob (3 September 2023). "Queer Eye's Tan France reacts to bride's ghost sex confession". Digital Spy. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
  35. ^ Sarner, Lauren (21 February 2018). "How a Muslim immigrant became the breakout 'Queer Eye' star". New York Post.
  36. ^ Harding, Laura (16 June 2018). "Queer Eye's Tan France: I will use surrogacy to have children". Irish Independent. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  37. ^ Newcomb, Alyssa (13 April 2021). "'Queer Eye' star Tan France is expecting a baby: See the announcement!". TODAY.com. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  38. ^ Slater, Georgia; VanHoose, Benjamin (2 August 2021). "Queer Eye's Tan France and husband Rob welcome baby son Ismail via surrogate". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  39. ^ Kayembe, Astrid (31 May 2023). "'The greatest gift': 'Queer Eye' star Tan France welcomes second child via surrogate". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  40. ^ Kinane, Ruth (10 June 2020). "Queer Eye's Tan France becomes an American citizen, is ready to vote: 'The timing couldn't be more perfect'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  41. ^ Carley, Brennan (11 September 2020). "Back to School With Tan France". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  42. ^ Hind, John (15 June 2019). "Tan France: 'I'm a nightmare in the kitchen'". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  43. ^ "Queer Eye star 'bleached skin as a child'". BBC News. 5 June 2019. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  44. ^ Roy, Natasha (6 February 2020). "Tan France says he won't return to living in the U.K. because of racism". NBC News. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  45. ^ Moodley, Kiran (22 June 2019). "Queer Eye's Tan France on racism and why he left the UK". Channel 4 News. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  46. ^ Leighton-Dore, Samuel (3 October 2019). "Tan France launches 'Shaded': 'A place to celebrate every shade of skin'". Topics. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  47. ^ "Tan France has something to say about fairness creams". Images. 10 October 2019. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  48. ^ Why Business Mogul Tan France Tried to Quit Queer Eye, retrieved 2 April 2021
  49. ^ McLoughlin, Lisa (29 September 2023). "Tan France on eyeing up a London move, British comfort foods and whether Queer Eye is coming to the UK". Evening Standard. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
  50. ^ "Hardcover Nonfiction Books - Best Sellers - Books - June 23, 2019 - The New York Times". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  51. ^ Petter, Olivia (18 May 2019). "Next in Fashion: Alexa Chung and Tan France to Host Netflix Show". The Independent. Archived from the original on 26 May 2022. Retrieved 12 January 2020.
  52. ^ Weiss, Allie (30 November 2023). "Watch Tan France's Utah Dream Home Come to Life in This New Series From AD". Architectural Digest. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
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