Tommy Hilfiger, an American fashion pioneer looking to the future

We are about to dive into the depths of the Tommy Hilfiger collection. They are meticulously stored at the Uovo art warehouse in Long Island City, fifteen minutes by taxi from Manhattan, New York. Van Heusen). Hence Tommy Hilfiger, as well as Calvin Klein and “Heritage Brands” (Van Heusen, Arrow, Warner’s, Olga, Izod and Geoffrey Beene).

At the reception, Becca Love, in a loose white shirt, pants with pockets, and loafers, prepares to show off the place. For six years now, he has been painstakingly restoring Tommy Hilfiger collections. It’s 8:30, the buildings are slowly waking up; The tour guide can start. An elevator and some elegant corridors (including a blue gradient wall, we’re told is a “work of art”) and we find ourselves in the heart of the archives of one of America’s most iconic fashion designers. The one who built his empire and his reputation by reinventing the BCBG wardrobe, or according to the American formula, “preppy”.

The strategy paid off. The Tommy Hilfiger brand has been a success story since its birth in 1985.american dreamwhich the United States loves so much. PVH Corp. understood well. The proof: in 2010, the company listed on Wall Street spent no less than 3 billion dollars to acquire the label. That’s nearly seven times what he paid for Calvin Klein in 2003. One good and simple reason. Tommy Hilfiger is a hit especially in Europe. It must be said that for years he has been trying to speak to all genres, classes, ages, including the young generation… A way of the future. And that’s the whole purpose of this space in the heart of Long Island: to collect archival items, to catalog them, to restore them if necessary, to preserve them well, to better understand the future.

Valuable archives

Because the role given to these precious archives is to serve as a base for developing new clothing lines. The proof. Tommy Hilfiger has just introduced the Classics Reborn clothing line, which revisits the brand’s great basics: oxford shirts, chinos, rugby polo shirts… All worn by the “nepo babies” (Georgia May Jagger, Dylan and Paris Brosnan, Sean: Koons and many others), a term that refers to the social reproduction of cultural elites.

Bringing all the collections together also means following the thread of the brand’s history. So that one day or another it will be recorded for generations and testify to its place in the history of fashion. In this case, Tommy Hilfiger played a leading role in the US and more broadly in pop culture.

Wandering between the shelves, one finds around 20,000 items cataloged, sorted, stored in cool and dry air, to the right and to the left. Some of Tommy Hilfiger’s original pieces are missing, “so we’re looking for them online, even buying them on Ebay,” says Becca Love, head of the archive. Contrary to popular belief, clothing rails don’t just feature V-neck sweaters, puffer jackets, and Oxford shirts (the classics). Good basics, sure, but a bit “traditional”. Unlike Calvin Klein, the king of minimalism, Tommy Hilfiger replicates maximalism. And there’s something for everyone: leather, appliqué, beading, embroidery, animal print, red, white and blue.

Return to the past

The visit continues at this shrine, where you can see the first ‘Tommy’ shirts, the only relics of a bygone era. They are painted and filled with “People’s Place”, the name of his first shop. The one where it all began in Elmira, New York in 1969. Thomas Jacob Hilfiger, the second in a family of nine children, had barely finished high school at the time. He doesn’t really want to join the university benches, but he is already attractive to business. The future self-made man then founded a boutique with two friends selling custom jeans. And with no pocket money (saved a handful of dollars working at a gas station). The young man is right to believe that. Concept meets success; it speaks to young Americans who love music and fashion. Several rock stars, including Bruce Springsteen and AC/DC, soon also crossed the threshold to purchase leather from People’s Place.

The Uovo archives thus offer a fabulous journey back in time. Dive first into the history of Tommy Hilfiger, but more generally into the history of the United States; its fashion, youth, evolution of consumption. At the entrance we notice roller skates, a Game Boy, a teddy bear, a disposable camera… All with the Tommy Hilfiger logo. Browsing the racks, we even came across a Coca-Cola “branded” sweater, at a time when the collaboration was decidedly less trendy.

Let’s celebrate “pop culture”

Later, rhinestones and sequins catch the eye. These are unique pieces that have been worn by several famous people. Lady Gaga’s heels, evening dresses, Zendaya’s signature sheepskin coat… Pop culture in all its glory. Because Tommy quickly realized that to break through you need to be clothed by the stars. “As a musician, my brother (bassist and producer Andy Hilfiger, editor’s note) really introduced me to the world of music, recalls Tommy Hilfiger, who wanders the middle of the aisles. At the very beginning, we thought that if musicians wear our clothes, then their fans will do the same. So it’s a habit we’ve taken to dress musicians, and we’ve always been close to this world. Then we wanted to get closer to Hollywood, celebrities, fashion, art, entertainment, sports…” The charm of Hilfiger in a nutshell.

Years ago, the brand even sponsored concert tours. Among them are the Rolling Stones, Lenny Kravitz or Britney Spears. Adored by Destiny’s Child, Usher and Aaliyah, the self-taught designer has never stopped being coveted by the crème de la crème and has found her niche. Adapting to 100km/h youth. We remember, for example, his collaborations with catwalk star Gigi Hadid, Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton, tennis player Rafael Nadal, as well as Hollywood favorite and pure Disney product Zendaya.

Flair, Tommy also has it when, unknown to the general public, he hires “eightiesbillboard in Times Square. His idea: the executioner’s game. Nothing revolutionary, but so effective. On the huge panel we can read: “The great American designers are R… L…, C… K…, T… H…” Everyone guesses Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein without a problem, but they are connected by T… H… . Nobody knows who he is yet, but Tommy Hilfiger has already risen to the title of the greatest. Almost forty years have passed since then. Tommy Hilfiger is still there. And at the age of 71, the creator has no intention of bowing down.

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