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Tommy Hilfiger at the

Mercedez Benz fashion fest

in México City

Born March 24,

1951 (age 60)

Elmira, New 

 York, U.S.

Nationality American

Education Elmira Free 

Academy

Occupation Fashion designer 

Labels Tommy Hilfiger  

CONTENTS 

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•

INTRODUCTION• KEYDATES

• COMPANY HISTORY

• ORIGINS

•

EARLY LIFE• CAREER

• PERSONAL LIFE

• CRITICISMS

• PRODUCT LINES

• BATTLING COMPETTION IN THE NEW

CENTURY

• REFERENCES

• EXTERNAL LINKS

EARLY LIFE 

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Hilfiger was born in Elmira, New York. The

second of nine children, he grew up in an Irish-

American[citation needed ] family; he claims direct

descendence from Scottish poet Robert Burns.

[2] His parents originally intended for him to be

an engineer. He attended Elmira Free 

Academy for high school. He also attendedGST BOCES Bush Campus in Elmira, New York

for Fashion Design. Rather than furthering his

education, he started to work in retail at the

age of 18. Hilfiger would go to New York City to

buy jeans and bell-bottom pants, which he

customized and resold at a local downtown

Elmira store, Brown's.

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He later opened his own store, named The

People's Place, around the block in downtown

Elmira. Over the years, a number of stores

closed in downtown Elmira as shopping traffic

shifted to the new Arnot Mall in Horseheads, 

New York.[citation needed ] After seven years, The

People's Place went bankrupt, when Hilfiger 

was 25. The site of the original store has since

been demolished to make room for First Arena,

home of the Elmira Jackals Hockey team.[citation 

needed ]

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CAREER 

After turning to the design of clothing bydesigning for the rest of his stores in upstate

New York, Hilfiger moved to New York City with

his now estranged wife, Susie. Although he

was offered design assistant positions with

designers Calvin Klein and Perry Ellis, and was

broke, he turned them both down with greater 

plans in mind.

In 1984, he founded the Tommy Hilfiger 

Corporation, ( NYSE :TOM), with support from

The Murjani Group, which went public in 1992,

introducing his signature menswear collection.

By 2004 the company had 5,400 employees

and revenues in excess of $1.8 billion. Hilfiger 

was named Menswear Designer of the Year by

the Council of Fashion Designers of America in

1995.[3]

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In 1998, Hilfiger gave singer Aaliyah her 

endorsement deal, in which he honored her in

his Summer 1998 fashion show in Jamaica.

In 2005, a CBS TV reality show called The 

Cut tracked the progress of sixteen

contestants as they competed for a design job

with Hilfiger in similar fashion to Donald 

Trump's The Apprentice. In the end Hilfiger 

chose Chris Cortez.

Largely due to declining sales, in 2006, Tommy

Hilfiger sold his company for $1.6 billion, or $16.80 a share, to Apax Partners, a private

investment company.[4][5][6]

In March 2010, Phillips-Van Heusen, owner of 

Calvin Klein, bought the Tommy Hilfiger Corporation for $3 billion.[7]

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PERSONAL LIFE 

Hilfiger has four children with his ex-wife,Susie: Alexandria ("Ally"), Richard, Elizabeth,

and Kathleen. His daughter Ally was featured

in the MTV reality show Rich Girls and his son,

Rich, was signed to hip hop super  

producer Swizz Beatz' label Full Surface.

Hilfiger put his Greenwich, Connecticut,

mansion on the market in the summer of 2008

for an asking price of $27 million.

On December 12, 2008, he married his second

wife Dee Ocleppo (née Erbug), former wife

of Gianni Ocleppo, famous Italian tennis player 

of the 1980s.

On February 25, 2009, the New York Post

reported that Ocleppo was three months

pregnant, and Hilfiger would welcome a fifth

child later in 2009.[8]

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On May 4, 2009, Hilfiger and Ocleppo

announced they were expecting a boy,[9] who

was born on Tuesday, August 4, 2009, and

named Sebastian Thomas Hilfiger.

CRICITISIMS 

Hilfiger has been criticized for manufacturing

clothes in sweatshop conditions in the United

States territory of Saipan in the Northern Mariana 

Islands. As a U.S. Commonwealth, clothes made

there can be labeled "Made in the USA", but

federal labor laws including the minimum 

wage do not apply. In March 2000, the company,

along with other defendants, settled a class

action suit brought by Saipan garment workers,

which had alleged mistreatment by over 20 large

U.S. clothing manufacturers.[10]

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PRODUCT LINES 

Hilfiger Denim, a premium-

upscale denim collection for men and

women. Designs are inspired by American

classics and finished with a modern edge.[13]

True Star Gold, fragrance created byHilfiger and spokeswoman Beyoncé Knowles

True Star, another fragrance created by

Hilfiger and with spokesperson Beyoncé

Knowles & True Star Men, a fragrance

created by Hilfiger and with

spokesperson Enrique Iglesias

Tommy Girl, fragrance for women

Red Label, a line of denim-themed

products including jeans, t-shirts, and

sweatshirts

H by Tommy Hilfiger, an upscale line which

was ended after Tommy Hilfger sold his

company, the same sort of style is now

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carried on under the Tommy Hilfiger label in

their specialty stores

Tommy Hilfiger, the company line of 

clothes sold in department stores, company

stores, and specialty stores

Tommy Sport, a defunct line that came out

in the 1990s and capitalized on Hilfiger'spopularity in urban areas.

Tommy Hilfiger for the Home, a line of 

bedding and bath products

Tommy Sailing, was due to be released in

January or February 2007.

Tommy, a brightly colored casual line.

Tommy Jeans, a denim inspired clothing

collection and corresponding fragrance

Hilfiger Athletics, a sport inspired clothing

line and fragrance

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9. ^ Tommy Hilfiger and Wife Expecting a 

boy! celebrity baby blog (May 6, 2009)

10. ^ "Eight more U.S. retailers settle 

sweatshop suit". Reuters. 28 March 2000.

Retrieved 2007-10-11.

11. ^ a b About.com: Urban legends. False 

rumor that Tommy Hilfiger is a racist12. ^ Oprah Winfrey: setting it straight - 

Hilfiger didn't appear on her show at all, let 

alone make racist remarks

13. ^ "Hilfiger Denim Fashion Fair".

EXTERNAL LINKS

Official website

Hilfiger profile Urban Legends that allege false claims against Hilfiger 

Anti-Defamation League; Letter to Tommy Hilfiger 

COMPANY HISTORY 

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Tommy Hilfiger Corporation markets

menswear, womenswear, and childrenswear 

designed by Tommy Hilfiger. Hilfiger sells a

complete line of clothing from socks to shirts,

swimwear, jackets, pants, belts, wallets and

ties, as well as sleepwear, golf clothes,eyewear, cosmetics, bedding, and home

furnishings. The company operates 15

specialty stores, ten Tommy Jeans stores, a

Tommy Hilfiger Children's store, and a dual

concept store. Hilfiger also operates 102

company outlet stores that offer branded

products as well as out-of-season

merchandise. Tommy Hilfiger products, which

bear the well known red, white, and blue logo,

can also be found in department stores and are

marketed in over 55 countries across the globe.

ORIGINS 

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Though the company was not incorporated

until 1992, its history properly begins with the

fortunes of its namesake, Thomas Jacob

(Tommy) Hilfiger. Born in Elmira, New York, in

1951, Hilfiger started his first clothing business

while still in high school. He and two friends

invested $300 in used blue jeans and soldthem out of an Elmira basement. Hilfiger never 

attended college but built up the blue jean

business into a chain of seven upstate New

  York stores called People's Place. People's

Place sold jeans, bell bottom pants, and other 

clothing, as well as candles, incense, and

posters. The stores were successful enough to

afford Hilfiger a Porsche, but they were poorly

managed. In 1977, People's Place was forced

to declare bankruptcy. Hilfiger moved to

Manhattan and tried to find work as a clothing

designer. Though he had no formal training, he

had designed and sold vests and sweaters for 

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People's Place. He worked freelance and then

started a sportswear company that went out of 

business after only one year. He eventually

found work designing jeans for Jordache.

In 1984, Hilfiger was contacted by Mohan

Murjani, an Indian textile magnate. Murjani

owned the license to Gloria Vanderbilt jeansand had helped spark the craze for designer 

  jeans in the 1970s. Murjani had an idea to

update the popular "preppy" look associated

with designer Ralph Lauren and give it a

younger and more mass appeal. He chose

Hilfiger to design the line for his firm, Murjani

International. In the beginning, however,

marketing was much more important than the

actual clothes.

Key Dates:

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1977: Tommy Hilfiger's first company, People's

Place, declares bankruptcy.1984: Mohan Murjani contacts Hilfiger to design a

clothing line for his firm.

1985: The Tommy Hilfiger clothing line debuts.

1987: Retail sales of the line reach $70 million.

1988: Tommy Hilfiger Co. Inc. is established.

1992: The company goes public.

1996: The women's line debuts at over 400 major 

department store shops.

1998: Hilfiger launches its bed and bath line; the

firm acquires its Canadian licensees and a portion

of Pepe Jeans USA for $1.15 billion.

2001: Sales and net income falter.

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INTRODUCTION 

Hilfiger and his partners, Silas Chou, Lawrence

Stroll and Joel Horowitz, took the company public

in 1992.

Among his most memorable products on the

cosmetics side areTommy Hilfiger’s Tommy Girl

and Tommy Girl for Women. Used as an any day,

anytime fragrance, Tommy Girl Perfume

byTommy Hilfiger is a blend of Cherokee rose,

camellia flowers, black currant flowers, cedar,

sandalwood, wild heather, apple blossom,

mandarin, tangerine, Dakota lily, jasmine, and

violet. Equally memorable is Tommy Girl Perfume

for Women, which comes in a perfume and

cologne spray. Tommy Hilfiger’s men’s

fragrances include Hilfiger Athletics, which is a

blend of grapefruit, anise, sage, cottonwood, and

sandalwood. Men can also choose from Tommy

and Tommy Freedom colognes and Tommy

aftershave.

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Hilfiger remains honorary chairman and chief 

designer of his diverse and diversified company.

He seeks a combination of the new and old

fashion trends in his complete lifestyle

collections for men, women, children and the

home not to mention his signature fragrances

“Tommy Girl” and Fragrances for “Him” and

“Her” to name just a few.

Tommy.com, was introduced in November 1999.

Called an “interactive lifestyle”’, it is an all

encompassing information and entertainment

web site featuring editorial content and original

programming of interest to the pop and youth

culture that comprises Hilfiger’s primary

demographic. The web site is used to

“supplement the Company's ongoing

development of a unique and comprehensive

lifestyle brand.”

Numerous honors have been presented

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to Tommy Hilfiger. In 1998, he was honored with

the Designer of the Year award from Parson

School of Design in New York City, and the same

title was bestowed on him by GQ magazine for 

their annual “Men of the Year” issue. That same

year, he received VH1’s “From the Catwalk to the

Sidewalk” award at their annual Fashion and

Music Awards.

Hilfiger is actively involved in a number of 

charities such as the Race to Erase Multiple

Sclerosis. Tommy is a dedicated sportsman

whose interests in sailing, scuba diving, skiing

and fishing influence his practical yet stylish

designs.

Here are just a few of the Tommy

Hilfiger products available at

FragranceWholesale.com.

 

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Battling Competition in the

New Century In fact, Hilfiger's success would continue

throughout the late 1990s before coming to an

abrupt halt in 2000. In 1998, the firm acquired

its Canadian licensee, Tommy Hilfiger Canada,

and also a portion of Pepe Jeans USA for $1.15

billion. It also launched a series of new

products including a home furnishings line, the

Hilfiger Athletics Fragrance for men, and aninfant and toddlers line. Sales for the year 

climbed to $847 million and then skyrocketed

to $1.63 billion just one year later. During 1999,

the company moved into the bath and body

products market, and also began offering a

girls' line, color cosmetics, the Freedom

fragrances, and also came out with a line of 

women's handbags.

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The competitive nature of the fashion industry,

however, caught up with Hilfiger in 2000. Stock

price plummeted as the company announced

that its profits for the fiscal year would fall. A

2000 Fortune magazine article summed up the

company's problems, commenting that

"Tommy rested on its red, white, and bluelaurels too long. New trendier brands (think

Fubu) dominate urban fashion, while Tommy's

clothes fill bargain bins at Bloomingdale's and

Macy's." The article went on to state that

"Hilfiger tried a host of makeover strategies

that were belated and misguided." These

strategies included a lackluster women's

sportswear line that was supported by

sponsorships of the Mary J. Blige and Sheryl

Crow music concerts. These sponsorships

however, did little to bolster sales of the

women's line, which saw the addition of both

golf and swim apparel during 2000.

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After customers complained that the

womenswear line was too trendy and did not fit

well, Hilfiger revamped the line, going back to

its basic preppy modern look. The company

also brought in a slew of industry veterans,

including Lynn Kohlman, a former Donna

Karan executive, and Camilla Nickerson, afashion editor from Vogue to get the division

back on track. Success in this section of the

market was crucial, as its menswear division

was suffering from weakening sales. In fact,

Bloomingdale's--with the exception of the 59th

Street location in New York--pulled the Tommy

menswear line from its brand lineup in 2001.

During 2001, a women's intimate apparel line

and plus-size line was introduced. The

company also generated publicity that year 

when Lauren Bush, the niece of President

George W. Bush, began modeling Hilfiger 

clothing. The company's efforts appeared to

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pay off, and by June of that year sales in both

women's and junior's sportswear and jeans

was exceeding company forecasts.

During fiscal 2002, overall sales declined

slightly, while net income increased by 2.7

percent to 134.5 million. Though Hilfiger's

impressive growth had slowed dramaticallyfrom the 1990s, the company remained a

popular and well-known brand. Along with

traditional advertising, the company choose to

tout its image using unique methods, including

the purchase of the sponsorship rights to Long

Island's Jones Beach Theater, one of the most

successful amphitheaters in the United States,

and the sponsorship of a 50-foot sailing vessel.

The ship was named the Tommy Hilfiger 

Freedom America yacht and would be racing in

the challenging 27,000-mile, nine-month

endurance "Alone Around" race that would

launch in New York City in September 2002.

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For Tommy Hilfiger Corp., remaining afloat in

the highly competitive, ever-changing fashion

industry would no doubt prove to be just as

challenging.