The American fashion designer began his career selling jeans. He then found his way into the clothing industry, where he rose to become one of the most popular designers of so-called “casual wear” alongside Ralph Lauren in the course of the 1980s. His very first collection (1984) featured sporty clothing with a classic American look. His fashion style found a target group of young, open-minded people with fun in life. From the 1990s, Tommy Hilfiger also oriented himself to the “college style” of the American east coast, which he developed into sporty elegance. A patriotic American, he introduced fashion to the US flag, the colors of which dominate the undertones of his fashion. Hilfiger sold his company to investment firm Apax Partners for $1.6 billion in 2005.
Thomas Jacob Hilfiger was born on March 24, 1951 in Elmira, New York.
Hilfiger grew up as the second of nine children in an Irish, Catholic family in Elmira, a small town near Cornell University. His father was a watchmaker and his mother a nurse. In 1969 Tommy Hilfiger bought jeans for $150 which he sold to local youth. The deal was quickly closed. Driven by the success of this campaign, he initially continued on this basis. With the profits he saved, Hilfiger opened his first store in 1969, which he called the “People Store”. There he offered young fashion for students. The business flourished, and more branches were opened. In a short time, Hilfiger was the entrepreneur of a total of ten fashion stores. With the increased sales figures for the items, he had trousers produced with his own label from the mid-1970s.
In 1979 he sold his chain to devote himself full time to fashion design. He dared to take the step into self-employment as a fashion designer, although he had never completed a fashion apprenticeship. In 1984 he presented his first own collection – sporty clothing in a classic American look. Since then, this style has shaped Hilfiger’s fashionable designs, it was also referred to as “casual wear”. His target group was made up accordingly: young people who enjoy life to the full. His preferred colors also became all-American: the white, blue, and red of the US national flag. His clothes were adorned with his own Hilfiger label. Sportiness, youth and lifestyle became the catchwords with which he used his collections in an effective advertising manner.
In the 1980s, above all, middle-class Americans felt attracted to the Hilfiger fashion. At the same time, the enthusiasm for it jumped over to young African Americans, who found acceptance in the target group advertising. From the 1990s, the American fashion designer based his style on the college look of his country’s east coast, which he changed to a sporty look. The Hilfiger brand had sales of $25 million in 1990. In 1992, Hilfiger went public with his company. In 1995, the fashion designer was named designer of the year for men’s fashion. In addition to the Fifi Award, he received other awards that document the success of the Hilfiger designs. Hilfiger has long been one of the prominent and important fashion designers. In 2000, his company achieved sales of around 200 million dollars.
Collections for women, men and children followed, including tailored suits, underwear and comfortable sportswear. Its patriotic look was also distributed in Europe and Germany. In addition, he had opened a new product line with accessories such as watches, which was becoming increasingly important. Hilfiger sold his company to investment firm Apax Partners for $1.6 billion in 2005. On December 12, 2008, he married former model, Dee Ocleppo. Together they became parents to a son, Sebastian Thomas. From his first marriage to Susie, Hilfiger was already the father of four more children, Alexandria, Richard, Elizabeth and Kathleen. In March 2010, the fashion group Hilfiger was taken over by Phillips-Van Heusen for the equivalent of 2.2 billion euros.
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Is Tommy Hilfiger gay?
No, Tommy Hilfiger isn’t gay.
What is Tommy Hilfiger most famous for?
Since launching his namesake brand in 1985, Tommy Hilfiger has become globally renowned as the pioneer of classic American cool style. Inspired by iconic pop culture and Americana heritage, the designer and his brand are driven by an ever-optimistic vision to break conventions and celebrate individuality.
What country is the Tommy brand?
The Big Apple of New York, neither more nor less, that has been and continues to be the setting in which Tommy Hilfiger has developed its made in USA aesthetic, from where it has expanded its brand to all territories and to all products and from where he has managed to achieve success.
What kind of brand is Tommy?
Tommy Hilfiger is the pioneer of classic American style with a modern twist, being one of the world’s most recognized premium lifestyle brands creating iconic style by offering high quality clothing, footwear, accessories, fragrances and home in more from 100 countries and more than 2 thousand stores.
