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Promise Keeper

FASHION ICON TOMMY HILFIGER TEAMS UP WITH MILLENNIUM PROMISE TO HELP ERADICATE POVERTY.

BY LAYLA SCHLACK

WHO • TOMMY HILFIGER, 59 MISSION • To aid Millennium Promise in reducing extreme poverty. Hilfi ger has committed $2 million over fi ve years to the Ugandan community of Ruhiira. “We’d like to make a difference and really teach the people of the village to help themselves,” he says. “We’re helping them get jobs, support their community. We’re not giving them fi sh—we’re teaching them how to fi sh.” He’s also opening the door for his staff to get involved: All 10,000 Tommy Hilfi ger employees around the world are encouraged to take free volunteer vacations to Ruhiira. MOTIVATION • After achieving tremendous success as a designer, Hilfi ger felt compelled to give back. “We did a lot of research and found that Millennium Promise was one of the strongest organizations associated with the UN. Of the money that’s given, most of it gets distributed on the ground.”

HAPPY BIRTHDAY • The Tommy Hilfi ger brand celebrated its 25th anniversary this year, and Assouline recently published a limited-edition 144-page book titled Tommy Hilfi ger, which chronicles the label’s development. “The book is really a scrapbook,” he says. “It’s got lots of photos and little quotes from people I’ve worked with over the years.”