Tommy Hilfiger

Date of Birth: 24.03.1951

Tommy Hilfiger (born as Thomas Jacob Hilfiger) is an American fashion designer and founder of the Tommy Hilfiger brand.

Place of Birth. Education. Tommy Hilfiger was born on March 24, 1951, in Elmira, New York. He was the second of nine children. His father, Richard, was a watchmaker of Dutch-German descent, and his mother, Virginia (née Gerrity), was a nurse of Irish descent. The designer claims to be a relative of the poet Robert Burns. As a child, Tommy suffered from dyslexia and had no friends in school. After graduating, his parents sent him to the Free Academy in Elmira. They wanted Tommy to study engineering. At the age of 17, he began buying and reselling jeans.

Business. In 1969, Tommy Hilfiger dropped out of school and moved to New York. With the saved $150, he bought 20 pieces of Landlubber jeans and returned to Elmira. In his hometown, he opened a store called The People's Place for young clothing. Within a few years, Tommy Hilfiger opened 7 boutiques in the northern part of New York.

In 1977, Tommy Hilfiger's business filed for bankruptcy. After the failure, he took a business course.

In 1979, Tommy Hilfiger sold his business, moved with his future wife Susan to Manhattan, and dedicated himself to clothing design. Later, the designer stated in an interview with the London Times that 'the fear of failure was a motivation for success.'

At the beginning of the 1980s, Tommy Hilfiger designed clothes for Calvin Klein and Perry Ellis. Later, Perry Ellis and Calvin Klein offered him positions as a designer in their companies. Tommy Hilfiger had to decline as he wanted to design clothes under his own brand.

In 1984, Tommy Hilfiger met Indian textile magnate Mohan Murjani. He offered Hilfiger a position as a designer in his company, Murjani Group.

In 1985, Tommy Hilfiger officially registered the Tommy Hilfiger brand and released his first collection under the license of the Murjani Group.

In 1989, Tommy Hilfiger purchased the rights to produce clothing under his own brand from the Murjani Group. In his company, he began hiring experienced managers from Ralph Lauren and Liz Claiborne.

By 2004, the company had expanded, employing over 5500 people in its offices and generating revenues exceeding $1.8 billion. In 2006, sales fell, and the designer had to sell his company for $1.6 billion to one of the private equity firms. The opinions of the media reporting on the famous designer were sharply divided. Some criticized Hilfiger's clothing, while others praised the designer's work. Nevertheless, the Tommy Hilfiger brand still exists, with the designer's jeans selling well and Tommy Hilfiger achieving excellent dividends.

On April 16, 2008, Hilfiger launched a new project - an online TV channel. The project was realized in collaboration with Sony BMG. Tommy TV focuses not only on fashion but also on music.

In March 2010, the Tommy Hilfiger company was sold for $3 billion to Phillips-Van Heusen Corporation, which owns the brands Calvin Klein, Timberland, DKNY, and others.

The global retail sales of the Tommy Hilfiger brand reached $6.5 billion in 2015.

Hilfiger remains the chief designer of the company and leads the design teams responsible for overseeing the entire creative process.

Awards. In 1995, Hilfiger was named Best Men’s Designer by the Council of Fashion Designers of America.

In 2002, he received the 'Future of America' Award for charitable activities in favor of American teenagers from the organization 'Drug Abuse Resistance Education'.

In 2009, he was awarded the UNESCO Prize for humanitarian efforts.

In 2012, Hilfiger received the Geoffrey Beene Award for Lifetime Achievement in Fashion from the Council of Fashion Designers of America.

Philanthropy. Today, Tommy Hilfiger is not only a well-known designer but also a prominent philanthropist who promotes sports. In the early to mid-1990s, Hilfiger actively supported several Formula 1 teams. In the early 2000s, he intensively supported the Ferrari team.

In 1995, Tommy Hilfiger founded the Tommy Hilfiger Corporate Foundation, which focuses on improving the living conditions of young people and supporting educational and cultural programs.

In 2006, Tommy Hilfiger began working with the charity Breast Health International, which advocates for the fight against breast cancer. Every year, the designer releases a collection of handbags and donates 50% of sales to this organization.

Tommy Hilfiger has also been involved in projects such as the 'National Memorial for Martin Luther King Jr.', the Anti-Defamation League, the 'Race to Erase MS' campaign against multiple sclerosis. The designer also supports 'Save the Children', 'Children without War', 'World Wildlife Fund', and others. The designer is a board member of the New York Fresh Air Fund. Tommy Hilfiger donated $2.5 million to establish the 'Tommy Camps' for the recreation of children from low-income families.

Biography. In 2010, on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the brand, Tommy Hilfiger published the book 'Tommy Hilfiger'. In it, the author talks about his life and work. The book features photos from the designer's personal archive, stories from close friends, and celebrities about Tommy Hilfiger.

Family. Since 2008, Tommy Hilfiger has been married to former model Dee Ocleppo, with whom he has a son, Sebastian Thomas, born in 2009. He also has 4 children from his first marriage to Susan - Alexandria, Richard, Elizabeth, and Kathleen.

23.03.2022