Tommy Hilfiger: Up Close And Personal

Tommy Hilfiger gives Atlanta Woman a personal testimony of bankruptcy, slanderous rumors and overcoming the impossible to achieve his dreams.

by Nicole D. Smith

September 15, 2008

H is real name is Thomas Jacob Hilfiger, but he likes to keep it simple; just call him Tommy. "Everybody has always called me Tommy from the very beginning," says Hilfiger, reflecting on his childhood. "I think my schoolteachers called me Thomas."

Tommy Hilfiger may be the simple name of a well-known fashion icon, but it's also the identifier of a global brand that in 2006 had an estimated worth of $1.6 billion, according to Hoovers.com. And now that the company has dual headquarters in New York City and Amsterdam, his name is resounding, sounding bigger than life. But Hilfiger often humbles himself by remembering where he began - young, passionate and at one point, broke.

The self-taught designer from Elmira, N.Y., skipped college - against his parents' wishes - and opened a small chain of clothing stores called People's Place. "I opened a shop selling jeans, and as time went on, I just decided to begin designing clothes for my customers," Hilfiger says, "because I didn't like what I was selling them. I didn't like what I was offering them. So, I thought it would be a great idea to just design my own."

But starting his own label and doing something he loves to do - designing clothes- required more business acumen than he anticipated.

"I went bankrupt when I was 23 years old with my first shops. I wasn't paying attention to the cash register and the business part of the business," Hilfiger says. "That taught me a big lesson. From that point on, I decided to [focus on] equal part business and equal part creative to move forward. I decided to surround myself with the very, very best accountants and lawyers in the world to make sure that the business angle was always taken care of. And from that moment on, I've only had success."






After turning down a job offer to be the head designer of Calvin Klein, Hilfiger found an angel investor to nurture his own business and in 1984 started the Tommy Hilfiger Corp., designing clothing for young men. But to grow the Tommy Hilfiger brand, he says he knew he had to tap into an important market - clothing for businesswomen. "I'm very conscientious about what women's requests are," says the designer, who grew up with five sisters and who has three daughters. "So I felt in developing women's clothes, I [wanted to] fill a void, give them something that they didn't have from other people."




Like any good businessperson, he quickly identified what women wanted and needed in the marketplace but didn't get. "I gave them - beginning almost 20 years ago - casual wear. They didn't really have casual wear to wear to work, or casual wear to dress up their jeans, and I just hit the right spot."

The Price Of Fame
Popularity, notoriety and fortune almost never come without insidious rumors. Hilfiger has dealt with his fair share, some of which linger today. Most prominent was a slanderous rumor that Tommy Hilfiger is a racist. Even though Hilfiger had given money to Atlanta's Morehouse College for many years before any defamatory statements began to be propagated in the '90s, the rumors continued.

"The racist rumor that I supposedly said on Oprah hurt my heart because I am not that type of person. And I, from the very, very beginning, ... have devoted my clothes to everybody. I didn't care what color [they are] or where they were from. I just wanted them to wear my clothes. So, I was glad when Oprah invited me on to say [this is a] big fat lie and dispel it."

From that difficult time in his life, Hilfiger says he learned not to give untruths any more attention than they deserve. "Mick Jagger is a very close friend of mine. I've known him for over 20 years," he says. "And I asked him a long time ago, 'How do you deal with all of the negative publicity?' ... And he said, 'If you fall prey to it, you're in the quicksand.' So I let it roll off my back."

The Key To Lots Of Customers
His business story entails extreme highs and profound lows, equipped with many lessons for all entrepreneurs looking to take their businesses to the next level. One of the most important lessons: Create a product that the majority of people want, need and can afford.

"I could have designed anything," he says, "but I wanted to make a lot of money and build a big business. So I decided to develop a line that was offered to a lot of people. And my whole philosophy at that time was to create classics with a twist and a unique edge, yet familiar with a new stance. That way, I knew I would gain a lot of customers. And [eventually] I became one of the largest American designer brands in the world as a result."

Advice For The Businesswoman
Hilfiger offers advice to designers and businesswomen who want to achieve the financial success he has over the years.

"You've got to work in a store. You have to work in a boutique. You have to be in retail," he says. "When you are in retail, you learn what the customer's needs and wants are. ... Fit is very important. And if you are waiting on a customer, and they're trying clothes on, you learn about what a good fit is and what a bad fit is. Sometimes if you find something that fits every woman, it's going to be a home run. It's going to be a popular item. If you find something that doesn't really fit many people, then forget it."

Tommy's Future Goals
As Hilfiger opens flagship stores on New York City's Fifth Avenue and in both Miami and Dublin, his continued expansion across the world simultaneously gives him new professional heights and new business goals.

"In the future, I would like to continue to map out my global lifestyle brand, including additional products. I'd like to do furniture. I'd like to do more stuff for that. That would be a dream," he says. "I believe you can accomplish your dreams. I really believe if you put your mind to it, you can do it. Set short goals. And when you reach one, set the next."

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Tommy Hilfiger visited Macy's at Lenox Square on Sept. 13, 2008. Atlanta was one stop on a four-city tour to launch his new line, Tommy Hilfiger Sportswear. Other cities on the tour are New York, San Francisco and New Orleans.