Tan France facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Tan France
France in June 2018
Born	Tanveer Wasim Safdar (1983-04-20) 20 April 1983 (age 42) Doncaster, England
Education	Doncaster College
Occupation	Fashion designer entrepreneur television personality
Years active	2011–present
Spouse(s)	Rob France ​ (m. 2007)​
Children	2

Tanveer Wasim "Tan" France (born 20 April 1983) is a British-American fashion designer, business owner, and TV star. He is famous for being the fashion expert on the Netflix show Queer Eye. He also hosted the web series Dressing Funny and co-hosted Next in Fashion. His book, Naturally Tan, came out in June 2019. Tan is one of the first openly gay South Asian men to be on a big TV show. He is also one of the first openly gay Muslim men on Western television.

Early Life and Fashion Dreams

Tan France was born Tanveer Wasim Safdar in Doncaster, England, on 20 April 1983. His parents were Muslim immigrants from Pakistan. In his book, he shared that growing up, he sometimes felt different because his family had different views on being gay. He also talked about not seeing many people like him (gay and Pakistani) on TV. He faced racism, which means being treated unfairly because of his background, both as a child and an adult. He said his home was not super religious but had strong ties to their Muslim heritage.

Tan became interested in fashion when he was young. This was inspired by the Disney clothes made at his grandparents' denim factory in Bury, Greater Manchester. He spent time working there. By age 13, he knew how to make and decorate a denim jacket. He later found out his grandfather had to close the factory because they were making fake Disney items. Tan went to Hall Cross School and then studied fashion at Doncaster College. After that, he moved to Manchester and then to London.

Tan's Journey in Fashion and TV

Tan France started his career working as a designer and director for big brands like Zara, Selfridges, and Bershka. This helped him learn all about how clothes are made, sold, and bought. He first worked with men's fashion but then focused on women's fashion for his college degree. Tan often worked as a stylist for important customers who came into the stores where he worked.

Moving to the United States

Tan began working in the United States in 2008, first living in New York City. He officially moved there in 2015. He was a company director at Shade Clothing before starting his own fashion company, Kingdom & State, in 2011. This brand made clothes that fit the rules for Mormon clothing. This was because many Mormons live in Utah, where his company was based. He later created two smaller clothing brands. Stores like ModCloth and Forever 21 bought Tan's designs. In 2016, he became a co-founder, designer, and CEO of the Rachel Parcell Inc clothing line, which was sold at Nordstrom.

Becoming a TV Star

After selling his businesses, Tan planned to retire and start a family with his husband. But then Netflix contacted him. This led to his role as the fashion expert on the new show Queer Eye, which started in February 2018. In 2019, Tan appeared in the music video for Taylor Swift's song "You Need to Calm Down". In 2020, he was on a special charity episode of The Great British Bake Off to raise money for Stand Up To Cancer. He even won that episode! That same year, it was announced that Tan would co-host the new Netflix series Next in Fashion with Alexa Chung. Tan shared that he sold all three of his businesses after he started working for Netflix.

Other Projects and Achievements

In 2019, Tan France designed an eyewear line with Eyebuydirect. Since 2019, he has written a column for GQ magazine about the Middle East. In 2020, he became Express's monthly stylist.

Tan was nominated for an Emmy award with his Queer Eye co-stars in July 2020. This was for Best Hosting of a Reality or Competition Program. In September 2020, Tan was announced as a style instructor on MasterClass. This is an online platform where experts teach different skills. In September 2020, the Tan France x Etsy special collection was launched. For this, Tan helped design home decor and food items with thirteen independent sellers.

In 2022, Tan presented a BBC Two documentary called Beauty and the Bleach. It was about colourism, which is when people are treated differently based on their skin tone. He then became the host of Say Yes to the Dress with Tan France, which is set in the English countryside. This show started in August 2023.

Tan's Personal Life

Tan France lives in Salt Lake City, Utah. He married Rob France, a pediatric nurse and illustrator, in 2007. They first married in London and then again in New York City after same-sex marriage became legal in the US. In April 2021, he announced that he and his husband were expecting their first child through a surrogate. Their son was born early on 10 July 2021 and spent three weeks in the hospital. In May 2023, Tan announced that their second son had arrived.

Tan became an American citizen on 9 June 2020, after working towards it for 10 years. This means he is now a citizen of both Britain and America. He loves cooking and baking and learned how to do both at age nine.

Tan has spoken openly about the challenges he has faced, including colorism, racism, and Islamophobia. In September 2019, he created an Instagram account called Shaded. On this account, he promotes Black people, people of color, and cultural diversity. In September 2020, he shared that experiencing racism in the UK was one of the main reasons he moved to the US.

In 2023, as their "dream" home in Salt Lake City was almost finished, Tan said that he and his husband were thinking about buying a second home in London. Tan was working more in the UK with Say Yes to the Dress and another upcoming show. They also visit often so their children can stay connected to their British side.

Books by Tan France

Tan France released a book about his life called Naturally Tan in June 2019. It became a New York Times bestseller. The book talks about growing up "gay in a traditional Muslim family" and being one of the few people of color in Doncaster, England. The book starts with his childhood in England, where he often faced racism. For example, he sometimes had to run back to school to avoid being beaten up by racist groups. The book also discusses colourism in South Asia and the Islamophobia he faced before and after the 9/11 attacks.

Tan's TV Shows and Music Videos

Television Shows

Music Videos

See also

In Spanish: Tan France para niños