Tommy Hilfiger Fashion Designer Tommy Hilfiger Biography
Born March 24, 1951, and raised in Elmira, New York (a small town near Cornell University), Fashion Designer Tommy Hilfiger or Thomas Jacob Hilfiger grew up in an Irish Catholic family.
The second of nine children, Hilfiger knew from a young age that he wanted to pursue a career in fashion.
Rather than furthering his education, an 18-year-old Hilfiger decided to work in retail -- apparently he had an innate business sense, even early on.
Always aiming to work with a product "for the people," (as seen in his present ads), he opened a store appropriately named "The People's Place", in upstate New York.
Hilfiger met Mohan Murjani (he owned the license of Gloria Vanderbilt jeans), who offered to back his business. Murjani went bankrupt, but Hilfiger bought back his company with the help of two partners. A year after Tommy Hilfiger, Inc. was founded, the company went public and built the company into the empire it is today.
Hilfiger was President of the company from 1982 until 1989, but has designed clothes under the Tommy label since 1984. Presently Director of the Company (since 1992), Honorary Chairman of the Board (since 1994) and Principal Designer, Hilfiger took what started as men's jeans and sportswear, to a half-billion-dollar empire encompassing menswear (including tailored suits), women's wear, children's wear, footwear, eyeglasses, fragrances, and home furnishings.
Although Hilfiger claims to have always targeted his clothing "for the people," he was embroiled in controversy after a story made its way through the media rumor mill, accusing Hilfiger of racist remarks. The racist comments have been denied by media personalities and Hilfiger himself, and his line continues to be worn by everyone from yuppies to rappers.
Early on in his career, Hilfiger ran an ad campaign which proclaimed that he, along with Perry Ellis, Ralph Lauren, and Calvin Klein, are the "4 Great American Designers For Men"; although the statement may have been premature, it isn't far form the truth -- Hilfiger was awarded the "From the Catwalk to the Sidewalk Award" at the first VH1 Fashion and Music Awards (in 1995), and was named the 1995 Menswear Designer of the Year by the Council of Fashion Designers of America.
Tommy Hilfiger Website
http://usa.tommy.com/
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