{"id":6608,"date":"2019-10-18T11:48:13","date_gmt":"2019-10-18T09:48:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/52.30.207.235\/ahead-of-the-curve-how-tommy-hilfiger-dominated-the-90s\/"},"modified":"2019-10-18T11:48:13","modified_gmt":"2019-10-18T09:48:13","slug":"ahead-of-the-curve-how-tommy-hilfiger-dominated-the-90s","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.footdistrict.com\/en\/ahead-of-the-curve-how-tommy-hilfiger-dominated-the-90s\/","title":{"rendered":"Ahead of the Curve: How Tommy Hilfiger Dominated the 90s"},"content":{"rendered":"

Collaboration has taken over the modern streetwear market. Rarely a week passes by without some ultra-hyped collab hitting shelves, inducing all kinds of lust and FOMO. It wasn\u2019t always this way, however. The concept of streetwear collaboration is one that only really began to gain mainstream momentum at the turn of the millennium – and it was typically a far more complicated affair than simply slapping a logo on a brand\u2019s existing product.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Kate<\/p>\n

Back in the 90s, only a handful of industry figures saw the value in working with influential identities outside the realm of professional sports \u2013 and even less understood its importance quite like Thomas \u2018Tommy\u2019 Hilfiger: the namesake behind the brand that stands as one of the greatest fashion success stories of the 1990s.<\/p>\n

First Steps<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Hilfiger\u2019s fashion career began in 1969, when, at the age of 17, the New York native journeyed to Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Hilfiger, together with seven friends, rented an apartment for the summer and he soon wound up working at a local clothes shop. That same year, while still in high school, Hilfiger began to dabble in fashion design itself. Unofficially launching his first fashion brand in his hometown of Elmira.<\/p>\n

Highs & Lows<\/strong><\/h2>\n

In 1971, with a grand total of $150 to his name, Hilfiger made the all-or-nothing decision to open his first store, People\u2019s Place. Although initially successful, prompting Hilfiger to open additional stores in upstate New York, such success would be short lived. Due in large part to Hilfiger\u2019s lack of experience and a not-so-serious work ethic, his venture came crashing down in 1977, leaving Hilfiger to file for bankruptcy at the age of just 23.<\/p>\n

From Man to Brand<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Downhearted and defeated, Hilfiger took a step back following the collapse of People\u2019s Place. He spent the late 70s and early 80s working both for and with other labels, such as Jordache Jeans, while also formally expanding his education in commerce and the business of fashion to ensure he would never repeat his previous mistakes.<\/p>\n

In 1984, having well and truly proven his talents in the cutthroat world that is New York City\u2019s fashion industry, Hilfiger finally received his big break. Approached by a businessman named Mohan Murjani, he was given the opportunity to launch a men\u2019s sportswear line under his own name. The Tommy Hilfiger Corporation launched in 1985, along with its now-legendary logo. It was backed by a high-profile marketing campaign right out of the gate, including a massive billboard in Times Square \u2013 intentionally opposite key competitor, Ralph Lauren,<\/p>\n

Major Success<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Despite having proven integral to his eponymous brand\u2019s debut, Hilfiger parted ways with Murjani in 1989. He had found a new financial backer in Silas Chou, the son of the founder of one of of Hong Kong\u2019s biggest knitwear manufacturers. As part of this major shake up, former Ralph Lauren executives were brought on board to lead the brand and the new Tommy Hilfiger rapidly climbed from strength to strength. In 1995, Hilfiger was declared Menswear Designer of the Year by the Council of Fashion Designers of America, but his brand\u2019s true success came from the strings being pulled behind the scenes.<\/p>\n

\"Aaliyah\"<\/p>\n

Superstar Status<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Inspired by a lifelong love of rock and roll, Hilfiger made sure that his brand, under its new structure, was closely entwined with the music industry. During the 90s, the brand sponsored music tours for everyone from Britney Spears to The Who\u2019s Pete Townshend. In addition, an eclectic A-list of stars from across a broad spectrum either worked with the brand or were clothed by the brand. Engaging with artists considered at the apex of cultural conversation had become key to the brand\u2019s strategy. Core to its success within this, however, was Hilfiger\u2019s staunch belief in the authenticity of collaboration: that it should solely guide and execute an artist\u2019s ideas, not induce an outcome through force or persuasion.<\/p>\n

Hip Hop Hooray<\/strong><\/h2>\n

While simultaneously working with squeaky clean pop stars like Britney Spears, Hilfiger\u2019s undeniably preppy brand became an unlikely hit within the hip hop community. Its urban appeal was solidified by a name drop on Grand Puba\u2019s 1992 single \u2018What\u2019s the 411?\u2019, quickly garnering Hilfiger\u2019s attention. He soon began supplying apparel to hip hop artists, who were drawn to the brand\u2019s use of bright colours and over-sized branding.<\/p>\n

The late R&B legend Aaliyah was featured in a 1995 Tommy Hilfiger campaign, later signing on as a brand spokesperson. It was also around this time that Tommy Hilfiger\u2019s fashion shows evolved into star-studded spectacles that saw the likes of Naughty by Nature frontman Treach performing \u2018Hip Hop Hooray\u2019 alongside Kate Moss on the runway.<\/p>\n

\"Kate<\/p>\n

Although Hilfiger had already successfully captured the attention of a generation in the late 90s, his genius foresight even saw him planning to tap into the next from a young age. He worked with Nintendo to put out an official collaborative Game Boy Colour branded with its requisite logo front and centre.<\/p>\n

The American Dream<\/strong><\/h2>\n

When it comes to 90s fashion, few brands \u2013 if any \u2013 can rival the success of Tommy Hilfiger. It became the true embodiment of the American dream through sincerity and authenticity. People didn\u2019t wear it because they were being paid to do so: they wore it because they wanted to.<\/p>\n

\"Tommy<\/p>\n

The latest chapter in the Tommy Hilfiger legacy has just landed at Foot District with the launch of the Tommy Jeans<\/a><\/strong> Fall Heritage New Capsule Collection, available now in-store and online<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Collaboration has taken over the modern streetwear market. Rarely a week passes by without some ultra-hyped collab hitting shelves, inducing all kinds of lust and FOMO. It wasn\u2019t always this<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":22229,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[60,63],"tags":[],"powerkit_post_featured":[4,7,5,6,8],"class_list":{"0":"post-6608","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-news","8":"category-noticias"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.footdistrict.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6608","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.footdistrict.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.footdistrict.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.footdistrict.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.footdistrict.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6608"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blog.footdistrict.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6608\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.footdistrict.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22229"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.footdistrict.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6608"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.footdistrict.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6608"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.footdistrict.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6608"},{"taxonomy":"powerkit_post_featured","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.footdistrict.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/powerkit_post_featured?post=6608"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}