Help me out

[helpmehilfiger]

Everyone has their own unique world inside of them. At the same time, they have the desire to express their inner selves outwards. Though there are numerous ways for such expression, fashion and music are probably the ones that are the coolest and the most apparent way. Those two fields are different from each other for sure. However, they create a synergy when they are fused together, just as Hilfiger had proven it himself. Furthermore, he tried to focus on a range of ‘genuine American fashion’ itself, starting from the classy prep-school looks to the sub-cultural looks such as hippies and hip-hop styles. The significance of his career is that he put diverse fields of culture altogether in a concordant way. 

[helpmehilfiger]

Although it already had its time in the 90s, Tommy Hilfiger Corporation is once again one of the most notable nowadays. If we were to pick a keyword in current fashion industry, it would be ‘retro’ or ‘old-school’. Of course, Tommy Hilfiger is at the head of this trend. Gaining its popularity once again among the hipsters, more and more people are seeking the old school ‘swag’. The trend made people to go through their old closet and vintage clothing stores. Famous musicians such as A$AP Rocky, Bruno Mars put on the nostalgic big-logoed shirts and sweats, joining the Hilfiger boom. The huge tricolor logo of Tommy Hilfiger is stealing the mind of many fashion-conscious young people who are, at the same time, deeply interested in media, music and other fields. Interesting part is that Tommy Hilfiger has successfully attracted even the generation that haven’t experienced its glory back in the 90s. 

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As mentioned above, one interesting thing about Tommy Hilfiger is that despite its initial identity as an American collegiate style brand, it drew many hip-hop artists’ attention. Before the 90s, Polo Ralph Lauren was one of the most prominent clothing labels in hip-hop. However, after Grand Puba, a renowned hip-hop artist of that time and a member of Brand Nubian, introduced Tommy Hilfiger in his song, the label became huge within the sub-cultural groups as well as it was on the conventional, classic market. (Sanchez, 2016) In 1994, Snoop Dogg appeared on Saturday Night Live wearing the signature tricolor rugby shirt with ‘Tommy’ across the chest.  Hilfiger was delighted that his label and his name were on artists’ lyrics and supported them wholeheartedly. With the support from many artists, the brand’s popularity skyrocketed among the listeners and the public. It was not only happening in the United States but it was a worldwide boom. Experiencing such synergy with the music industry, Tommy Hilfiger kept the correlation and continued promoting their products by linking them with music.

[helpmehilfiger]

From the early stage of his career, Hilfiger had always been closely related with music. His enthusiasm toward music ran in the blood; two of his brothers were musicians and they partly contributed to the inspiration that Tommy got from music. According to the interview he had with IANS(Indo-Asian News Service), he stated “As a brand, we believe in the natural fusion of music and fashion.” As an individual and also as a designer, he believed in the power of pop culture and applied it to his works. “Pop culture has one of the biggest impacts on what we wear today, and my work is at the heart of that: a combination of fashion, film, art, entertainment, sports and of course, music.” Hilfiger stated. Despite that Tommy Hilfiger was initially launched as a classy, preppy-like label, the main driving force that helped the brand to transform into a major corporation it is today was its relation with music of pop culture. 

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As a designer, Hilfiger had the aspiration to create something that was totally new. In his autobiography (Hilfiger, 2010), he recalls “I had always loved the prep school look, traditional Ivy League, and the clothes that sailors and jocks wear.” He adds that perhaps it was the small town boy inside him that affected such admiration. This personal taste had greatly influenced his designing philosophy and was reflected in his works. His initial lines were created to appeal to young men looking for designer clothing. Soon enough, Tommy Hilfiger became the most pronounced brand that represented the 90s American fashion. Added to the aspects presented above, Hilfiger wanted to create something that was very “American”. Other than the prep school look, what caught his mind was the pop culture, especially music. As an enthusiastic fan of music himself, Hilfiger showed deep interest in Rock’n’Roll. After establishment of his own brand, Hilfiger continuously sponsored rock concerts and festivals.

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Thomas Jacob “Tommy” Hilfiger started his career as a designer from his early years and successfully established his corporation as the exemplar of an American fashion brand. Born in Elmira, a small town in New York, Hilfiger was the second of nine children. After graduating high school, Hilfiger worked at a clothing store and had spent the whole summer of 1969 there. With the saving of $150 and two of his friends, Hilfiger opened his own clothing store called ‘People’s Place’ at his hometown Elmira in 1971. Trying to stock his store, Hilfiger went from suppliers to suppliers but was unsatisfied with the conventional products they had. Therefore, he decided to design his own works from sketches to manufacture. The store usually dealt hippie supplies such as bell-bottoms, incenses and records which brought Hilfiger a huge success. (Hilfiger, 2016) However, the fame did not last long. Seven years later, the People’s Place went bankrupt, influencing Hilfiger to take classes on commerce and business of the fashion industry. After bankruptcy, Hilfiger continued his career as a designer until a businessman called Mohan Murjani contacted him suggesting that he would back up Hilfiger to establish his own fashion brand. That was the beginning of the world famous clothing label, Tommy Hilfiger Corporation.

[helpmehilfiger]

Culture is the most notable and the hottest keyword in modern society. In fact, culture such as art, music and fashion are the factors that consist and define the world we live in. They are all closely interconnected and continuously communicate with one another. More than any other fields, fashion and music show remarkable correlation, making themselves inseparable from one another. Tommy Hilfiger, the founder of the cognominal brand, had realized the importance of this relation from early on his career. Knowing the significance, he reflected it on his works in the most American way.