hnnhcronin With 90s nostalgia in full swing, the brand most often associated with the 90s, Tommy Hilfiger is once again ascendant. After a decade of declining sales and waning popularity, Hilfiger’s classic logo t-shirts and his loose-fitting jeans are back in style. Throughout the 1990s, Tommy Hilfiger became a major force among musicians, especially rappers. Hilfiger logos were plastered all over artists in music videos, concerts, and on the street, so eventually the look caught on.
Tommy Hilfiger has recently collaborated with Urban Outfitters to produce a throwback look, which includes his casual ‘Tommy Jeans’ t-shirts, large pullover sweatshirts, swimsuits, and different denim articles. Celebrities have encouraged Tommy Hilfiger to produce more of his iconic 90s looks with many sporting Tommy Hilfiger gear: Bella Hadid, Rihanna, Bruno Mars, Zendaya, and Drake have all been seen wearing Tommy recently.
Along with the 90s hype, Tommy Hilfiger has made an effort to appeal to a younger audience, seen by his collaboration with teen favorite and Urban Outfitters model Gigi Hadid. Hadid’s is a strong social media presence with 34.7 million followers on Instagram. Tommy and Gigi created a Tommy x Gigi collection, which debuted in a festival-like fashion show in Venice Beach, California in spring 2017. The clothing line, which Gigi helped design, mixed traditional nautical, preppy clothing with Gigi’s personal California beach style. Following the show, sales skyrocketed and traffic to the Tommy Hilfiger website increased by 900%. Celebrity exposure has always been a big marketing tactic for Hilfiger, and Hilfiger has adapted quite well to the social media models that serve as the fashion icons for teens and millennials. Tommy Hilfiger and Gigi are set to release another clothing line at London fashion week this September.
Not long ago the Hilfiger brand was facing financial troubles due to declining sales and changing tastes. Referring to the logo-mania frenzy and loose jeans that went out of style, Hilfiger noted, “We made the mistake of following a trend that was going to be short-lived.” Following his fallout with the young crowd, Tommy Hilfiger faced market oversaturation and had to resort to selling its clothes at down market stores like Kohl’s. During the 2000s, Tommy Hilfiger returned to its roots by selling simple, preppy clothing, but young consumers sought trendy looks rather than classic styles. Additionally, Tommy Hilfiger was no longer considered luxury in the early 2000s. To combat this image, the brand raised prices and decreased outlet presence. Recently, Tommy Hilfiger has been pursuing aggressive European expansion in order to compensate for sales lost in America, and the tactic seems to be working, as evidenced by Tommy Hilfiger’s return to the fashion spotlight.
Sources:
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