Thomas Jacob Hilfiger or better known as Tommy Hilfiger is a well-known American designer and his work is increasingly concerned about the environment. He was born on March 24, 1951 in Elmira, New York, United States.
He was the founder Tommy Hilfiger Corporation in 1985. It started when he designed preppy for the men’s clothing line in the 1980s. The company then developed and began making women’s clothing and various luxury items such as perfume, and went public in 1992.
In 1997, Hilfiger published his first book, entitled All American: A Style Book, and he has written several books since then, including Tommy Hilfiger through Assouline and Memoir Hilfiger, American Dreamer: My Life in Fashion & Business. The Hilfiger collection is often influenced by musical subculture fashions and collaborating with celebrities such as American R & B artist Aaliyah.
In 2006, Hilfiger sold his company for $ 1.6 billion to Apax Partners and resold it in 2010 to Phillips-Van Heusen for $ 3 billion. He continued to take part as the company’s main designer, lead the design team and oversee the entire creative process. In 2012 Hilfiger was awarded the Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Fashion Designer Board for his services in the world of fashion.
Tommy Hilfiger and his work on people with disabilities
Activities such as zipper closure of pants and buttoning clothes on most people are easy things but for people with disabilities things that look simple are not things that can be done easily. There are many of them who have to rely on help from others in buttoning clothes, so that they have difficulty being able to live independently.
Renowned fashion company Tommy Hilfiger was moved to ease the burden of persons with disabilities and present the design. He successfully created a collection of disability friendly clothing for children in 2016 and is now back in line for clothing for adults. The collection was officially launched in October 2017. The collection today consists of 37 models for men and 34 models for women.
“Through this latest collection, we want to encourage them (adults with physical disabilities) to be more confident in expressing themselves through a touch of fashion,” explained an explanation from Hilfiger.
Tommy Hilfiger and Sustainable Concepts
One of its shops located in Leeds Victoria Gate is one of the most environmentally conscious shops in Europe. The developer of a shopping mall, Hammerson, is working to ensure that overall development reaches a BREEAM rating of ‘very good’ by using the leading sustainability measures.
The 2,723 square foot store offers clothing and fashion accessories for men, women and children. The building has light oak wood floors and contemporary walnut wood and fixtures with a glossy white color.
In addition to sustainable theme shops, he also actively participates in the Millennium Promise, a non-profit organization that focuses on eradicating extreme poverty, hunger and preventable diseases in poor regions, classifying Hilfiger as the Millennium MDG Global Leader of Promos.
In 2009 he made a commitment of $ 2 million over five years for the Millennium Promise for relief efforts in the city of Uganda, with the aim of increasing citizens’ access to needs such as clean water, education and agricultural engineering.
In 2012, all of The Tommy Hilfiger Corporate Foundation’s philanthropic activities were renamed Tommy Cares, a broader global initiative that increasingly integrates brand nonprofit partnerships, charitable contributions and the involvement of their employees.
On a global scale, Tommy Cares continues to support organizations such as Save the Children, World Wildlife Fund, War Child and Millennium Promise. In addition, Tommy Hilfiger and his wife are on the board of Autism Speaks.