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Tommy Hilfiger lends modern touch to 60s vibe at New York fashion week Tommy Hilfiger lends modern touch to 60s vibe at New York fashion week
(34 minutes later)
Tommy Hilfiger’s $870m business is built not on his skill with hemlines or colour palettes, but on his gift for seeing the big picture. Tommy Hilfiger clothes sell because they make the customer feel connected to the gloss and glamour of pop culture, and to an aspirational lifestyle. And right now there is no more aspirational summer lifestyle than to hang out at a music festivals, looking cool. Tommy Hilfiger’s $6.4bn business is built not on his skill with hemlines or colour palettes, but on his gift for seeing the big picture. Tommy Hilfiger clothes sell because they make the customer feel connected to the gloss and glamour of pop culture, and to an aspirational lifestyle. And right now there is no more aspirational summer lifestyle than to hang out at a music festivals, looking cool.
So on the catwalk at New York fashion week on Monday, that was exactly what the models wearing Tommy Hilfiger’s collection for next summer were doing.So on the catwalk at New York fashion week on Monday, that was exactly what the models wearing Tommy Hilfiger’s collection for next summer were doing.
The scene for the show was a music festival in the late 1960s, the time when 63-year-old Hilfiger launched his first fashion label. The Hilfiger name was spelled out in lurid floral arrangements borrowed from the Sgt Pepper album cover, while Jimi Hendrix’s Crosstown Traffic opened the show. The theme extended even to the casting: first onto the catwalk was Georgia May Jagger, the model daughter of Mick.The scene for the show was a music festival in the late 1960s, the time when 63-year-old Hilfiger launched his first fashion label. The Hilfiger name was spelled out in lurid floral arrangements borrowed from the Sgt Pepper album cover, while Jimi Hendrix’s Crosstown Traffic opened the show. The theme extended even to the casting: first onto the catwalk was Georgia May Jagger, the model daughter of Mick.
The collection “blends our Americana heritage with vintage rock style, updated for the modern festival muse”, said the designer after the show.The Tommy Hilfiger label does not deal in nuance. The literal-mindedness of the clothes on the catwalk – drummer boy jackets, flares, lurex scarves, tunics, peaked caps and guitars – became tiresome. But for a brand this size, a catwalk collection is a chance to flash one strong, simple image into the public consciousness. And there were smart modern touches within the retro mood: flat-collared bomber jackets, a style seen at Louis Vuitton on last season’s catwalks and gathering momentum this season, were shown alongside shorts and ankle boots which referenced the leggy style of the Coachella-to-Glastonbury with-the-band fashionistas.The collection “blends our Americana heritage with vintage rock style, updated for the modern festival muse”, said the designer after the show.The Tommy Hilfiger label does not deal in nuance. The literal-mindedness of the clothes on the catwalk – drummer boy jackets, flares, lurex scarves, tunics, peaked caps and guitars – became tiresome. But for a brand this size, a catwalk collection is a chance to flash one strong, simple image into the public consciousness. And there were smart modern touches within the retro mood: flat-collared bomber jackets, a style seen at Louis Vuitton on last season’s catwalks and gathering momentum this season, were shown alongside shorts and ankle boots which referenced the leggy style of the Coachella-to-Glastonbury with-the-band fashionistas.
The business model of selling fashion by association with celebrity and lifestyle is now so standard within the fashion industry that it is easy to forget Hilfiger was a pioneer. When, in the 1990s, he began forging relationships and making deals with pop stars and rappers, eyebrows were raised amongst the socialites and Hollywood-stamped starlets who then populated the front rows. Twenty years later, the hook-ups which Hilfiger initiated are the bread and butter of even the most pedigreed brands. Rihanna is the biggest front-row draw on the global catwalk circuit, wooed by designers from Chanel to Versace.The business model of selling fashion by association with celebrity and lifestyle is now so standard within the fashion industry that it is easy to forget Hilfiger was a pioneer. When, in the 1990s, he began forging relationships and making deals with pop stars and rappers, eyebrows were raised amongst the socialites and Hollywood-stamped starlets who then populated the front rows. Twenty years later, the hook-ups which Hilfiger initiated are the bread and butter of even the most pedigreed brands. Rihanna is the biggest front-row draw on the global catwalk circuit, wooed by designers from Chanel to Versace.
These days Hilfiger’s company – along with Calvin Klein’s – is wholly owned by the fashion powerhouse PVH. Hilfiger is still very much involved, with the title of Principal Designer and Visionary. In the most recently released set of financial results, Tommy Hilfiger profits were up 9%. (By way of comparison, stablemate Calvin Klein posted a 1% increase.)These days Hilfiger’s company – along with Calvin Klein’s – is wholly owned by the fashion powerhouse PVH. Hilfiger is still very much involved, with the title of Principal Designer and Visionary. In the most recently released set of financial results, Tommy Hilfiger profits were up 9%. (By way of comparison, stablemate Calvin Klein posted a 1% increase.)
If the front-of-house theme of this show was the music festival, the behind-the-scenes strategy was all about keeping the Tommy Hilfiger brand ahead of the curve as fashion’s digital age gets under way. Every aspect of social media connected to this show was worked up and framed not simply to broaden the reach of the pictures from the catwalk, but enhance the global audience’s appreciation of Tommy Hilfiger as a lifestyle brand. The day of the show saw a ‘takeover’ of the brand’s Instagram account by Alexa Chung, social media star and “music festival muse” of the moment.If the front-of-house theme of this show was the music festival, the behind-the-scenes strategy was all about keeping the Tommy Hilfiger brand ahead of the curve as fashion’s digital age gets under way. Every aspect of social media connected to this show was worked up and framed not simply to broaden the reach of the pictures from the catwalk, but enhance the global audience’s appreciation of Tommy Hilfiger as a lifestyle brand. The day of the show saw a ‘takeover’ of the brand’s Instagram account by Alexa Chung, social media star and “music festival muse” of the moment.