CLASSICS ROCK

Two long-running staples in Tommy Hilfiger’s collections are its Oxford shirt and shirt dress. The legendary American designer tells The Daily why these classics have endured.

Why was it time to focus on the Oxford shirt and the shirt dress again?

It’s always time for classics. The interesting thing is finding a balance between timelessness and progression.

Our roots have a preppy heritage that will never change. Yet when we revisit our icons and give them a new twist, we allow the rising generations to express themselves in their own unique way. That reflects the spirit of fashion to me.

Let’s discuss them. What has been the long-term appeal of the Oxford shirt and the shirt dress as a wardrobe staples?

The appeal of the Oxford shirt and shirt dress are that they’re parts of our collection from season to season. They’re comfortable, sophisticated, and versatile classics that can take you from day to night, and from the office to the restaurant.

Their style has an enduring quality that always outlasts trends.

You have had the Oxford shirt in your collections since the beginning of your career. Do you credit this particular look with a big part of the lasting success of the Tommy Hilfiger brand? It’s certainly a signature of ours, giving a modern twist to a preppy look. It has that “classic American cool” feel that has always been at the heart of our brand. There’s a duality in the appeal of classics. We keep them consistent for our loyal audience, and reinvent them for the next generation.

You have a new campaign coming out. What can you tell us about it?

The upcoming campaign celebrates the reinvention of timeless prep style, as worn by a new generation. We want to keep mixing up our codes to attract the next generation. There are certain iconic pieces that you can dress up or down, and that comes through in the campaign as the cast was given freedom to express themselves.

They bring a new identity to timeless silhouettes.

What have been some of your favorite ways these looks have been styled over the years?

I love the modernization and reinterpretation of prep. I think it’s cool when the classics are reimagined by different creative communities—from hip-hop to punk. These timeless looks also tie into your focus on sustainability and fashion. What are some of the ways the brand is focusing on sustainability right now?

We’re always trying to reproduce our classics in a more sustainable way. It’s about

By EDDIE ROCHE

creating a future we can all look forward to, and we all have a shared responsibility to make a positive change. We’ll be releasing a campaign that offers iconic prep pieces modernized through sustainable innovations. It features materials that are crafted from recycled textiles and integrates cutting-edge technology creating new fibers out of recycled textiles.

In August 2022, Tommy launched your first collection using Infinited Fiber Company’s regenerated fiber, made from discarded clothing. Tell us a little more about this process.

Yes, this is one of the ways we’re looking to become more sustainable by using cutting-edge techniques. The innovative fiber has a soft and natural feel, and is made from cotton-rich textile waste that would otherwise end up in landfills or be burned. It’s one of the materials we’re using as we work toward a better tomorrow. We haven’t touched base with you since your show in September in Brooklyn. What a night! What was going through your mind when it was raining? It turned out to be pretty spectacular.

The rain poured down but in true NYC style, the show went on. It turned out to be an incredible evening. It was such a thrill and energizing experience to be able to connect with people in the flesh again after we had been separated for so long. We can’t wait to harness this spirit to bring our collections to life in innovative ways in the future. We hear you’re interested in the metaverse. How do you envision fashion and the metaverse? Combining the powers of the metaverse and the fashion industry will present endless opportunity, and we’re only at the beginning of the journey. The metaverse is somewhere that provides an endless opportunity for creativity, collaboration, storytelling, and community-building. Whether its NFTs, avatar fashion shows, or something else we haven’t explored yet, I’m excited to see what’s to come.

A lot of people still can’t quite grasp the concept of the metaverse. Because you’re passionate about it, how would you explain it to someone?

The metaverse is an immersive virtual ecosystem with infinite possibilities. I think of it as a spatial evolution of the Internet. It won’t replace the physical world, but as we integrate the digital and physical worlds, it presents a lot of opportunity as we consider how we build our community in unique new ways. We found a fun way to engage in the digital world last year with the Tommy X Roblox Creators collection, then launched Tommy Play, an immersive social space with ongoing updates for the Roblox community. There are so many possibilities in the metaverse, and this is just one more offering that we’ve created together.

We know you’re skipping NYFW this season. Will we see a runway show at some point? We’re always creating new ways to connect with our audiences around the world. I can’t share too much about what we’re doing in the future at this point, but I can assure you the best is yet to come.

How has life in Palm Beach been treating you?

It’s always so enjoyable to be here, connected with my family. I try to find joy in the day-to-day, and Palm Beach has always been a place where that’s come easy to me.

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