Tanveer Wasim "Tan" France (né Safdar; born 20 April 1983) is a British-American fashion designer and television personality. Of Pakistani descent, he is one of the first openly gay South Asian men on a major show[a] and one of the first out Muslim gay men on western television as the fashion expert for the Netflix series Queer Eye, host of the web series Dressing Funny and co-host of Next In Fashion. His memoir, Naturally Tan, was released in June 2019.
Tanveer "Tan" Wasim Safdar was born and raised in South Yorkshire, England, to Muslim Pakistani parents. In his memoir, France has discussed how he felt alienated due to his experience of growing up in a strict Muslim household where homosexuality was viewed negatively, the lack of representation in media of his community (and of LGBTQ South Asian people in particular) and his personal experiences of physical and verbal racism in his childhood and adult life. France said: "Our home wasn't super religious but we had a profound connection to our Muslim heritage."
France's interest in fashion began at a young age, inspired by the Disney clothing that was made in his grandparents' denim factory in Bury, England, where he spent time working. By the age of thirteen, he had learned how to construct and embellish a denim jacket. In 2019, he allegedly learned that his grandfather had to close the factory due to the products being Disney knockoffs. Tan France has been a fan of Bollywood music and movies.

Return to Tan France Autograph Profile