When Tommy Hilfiger first started his eponymous clothing line in 1985, he championed the idea of New American Classics. At the time they were what he describes as “classics with a twist” with the designs adapting classic tees, chinos and the like with a more oversized silhouette, or a more relaxed cut, as well as pushing the idea of pre-washing the fabrics to get rid of surface chemicals and to improve their comfort and wearability. “They were made to be more chilled out and cooler than other brands at the time,” says Hilfiger. That aesthetic now takes its place in the cultural zeitgeist under the term ‘preppy’ fashion.
The idea of the new Tommy Hilfiger collection – entitled ‘Classics Reborn’ – is to give a fresh face to the aesthetic of classic preppy hero pieces that he championed all those years ago. “Classics are the backbone to the business,” says Hilfiger, “but if you don’t update them, things can start to get boring.”
“Fashion is cyclical, and so every once and a while preppy comes back in a very powerful and important way,” Hilfiger tells Esquire Middle East. “The thing is, it can’t come back the same way every time so we have to think of how we can make it come back feeling fresh and new.”
For Spring 2023 the secret weapon to ensure this is Shawn Mendes.
The multi-platinum, pop-star collaborated with the Tommy Hilfiger designers on the Classics Reborn capsule collection to create an aesthetic that modernizes the pre-’90s prep feel, highlighting relaxed fits and comfort with an emphasis on inclusivity.
An important element to the 29-piece collection is that it was designed with sustainability at its heart. The materials used in the collection were selected to be more circular and focused on fibres made from recycled textiles, instead of relying on virgin resources – this includes Circulose. Stand-out items include a stars and stripes rugby shirt (pictured above) which is made from a recycled and organic cotton blend and a varsity jacket which has sleeves made from Econyl, regenerated nylon that is made from plastic waste including fishing nets.
“Shawn is not just a hugely engaging musician, but he is an impressive young man and is seriously into sustainability, which makes up an important element of our Classics Reborn collaboration,” explains Hilfiger. “We believe that others should be working with sustainable fabrics and that the industry needs to take it very seriously. We’ve been doing it with our denim for a while, ensuring that every jean from the Tommy Jeans line is sustainable, and hopefully we can continue playing our part in creating a more responsible future of fashion.”
If that goal seems lofty, few people would bet against Tommy Hilfiger from setting some industry shifting foundations in order to achieve it, again.
“Back in the beginning one of the things that we really pushed was logos,” he says. “A lot of people said ‘you’ll never sell clothes with logos all over them. Customers don’t want that,’ and so I was really not embraced in the beginning. But as it turns out…” he says with the quiet side smile of a man whose previous gambles have been vindicated a thousand times over.
‘Tommy X Shawn Classics Reborn’ will be available in across the Middle East in May 2023