Tommy Hilfiger has succeeded in perpetuating the Ivy League image and style by popularizing Harvard khakis and shirts outside of the Hamptons. His 100% USA tricolour logo has become a symbol of slightly elistist sportswear elegance. In just a few years his self-taught enthusiasm  has enable him to built an empire that can easily compete with his very select and direct competitor Ralph Lauren.

Tommy Hilfiger is from a 9-child catholic family. As a boy he grew up in a little town called Elmira on the outskirts of New York. It is said that young Tommy already knew his future was in textile. In 1969 (when he was 18) he decided to set up a small business with 2 of his friends, selling customized bell-bottom pants. Their creations were appreciated and even retailed by a small Elmira store.

But Thomas did not stop at this: he who glorified the upper-class and the golden youth of New-York decided to set up his own store dedicated to wealthy customers. The People’s Place was born. It became an immediate hit where the hip crowds would gather for DJ contests and fashion shows organized by Tommy Hilfiger himself. The location drew a lot of people but had a poor retail turn-over. In the meanwhile, the master continued to produce customized items and then progressively started making his own creations.
At the age of 25 he filed bankruptcy for The People’s Place but wasn’t left without any resources. Indeed, during his 7-year venture in the world of prêt-à-porter, he had perfected his style, grown conscious of the market’s expectations and moved from customizing to complete designing. When The People’s Place finally shut down, Tommy Hilfiger was already selling his own models in over 10 different stores in over the NYC.
He and his wife decided to conquer the Big Apple. They moved into the city and Hilfiger was ambitious enough to consecutively turn down positions at Calvin Klein and Perry Ellis… He already had other plans and a firm belief in his lucky star at the time. In 1984 he opened a store carrying his name, created the Tommy Hilfiger touch and presented his first men’s collection.

This first opus is accompanied by a megalomaniac advertising campaign and presents Hilfiger as the new leader in men’s prêt-à-porter. In the end, Thomas Hilfiger turned out to be right as he earned the 1995 Menswear Designer award from the CFDA, the ultimate award for designers. The Hilfiger name was known to all from that moment on, especially the wealthy customer seduced by his slightly bourgeois casual-chic styling. The designer’s choices were comforted by this prize and pushed him to develop his company extensively with collections for women, kids, accessories and shoes in accordance.

The little guy from Elmira gradually built a full-size fashion empire. He kicked a load of modernism into traditional American prêt-à-porter. Luxury sportswear became his trademark. His polo shirts with a small tricoloured flag became the backbone of his collections as he considers them to be the fundament of any man’s wardrobe.
In 2006 Hilfiger sold his company to the Apax investment fund which already owned Calvin Klein. But the brand still continues to grown to this day by selling over 40 franchises and opening retail point all over the world.
In 2007, after a 2-year absence, the Hilfiger collections are back on the New-York fashion catwalks through supporting the fight against breast cancer in the trendiest manner possible. Since 2006, Tommy Hilfiger has been producing a special bag that profits research against breast cancer. This year Nicolas Sarkozy’s wife Carla Bruni became ambassador to the cause by associating her name to stylish little bag!
To this day, the famous designer still spends a lot of his time supporting young creators through the Hilfiger Sessions funding program. He also sponsors a number of sports events and creates mini-collections that benefit charity organizations.