How Tommy Hilfiger Became Clothing Line of The Culture in the 90s

In 1984, a clothing line debuted sporting red, white, and blue with a name emblazoned across it.

That line would eventually become one of the most popular clothing brands in Hip-Hop, Black culture, and society, at large, by the mid-1990s.

That clothing line and its founder was Tommy Hilfiger.

Hilfiger became as synonymous with Hip-hop culture as Gucci, and Louis Vuitton in the 80s, and even Ralph Lauren Polo in the early 90s. Many have forgotten how this brand started, or how it became so popular, so let’s break it down.

WHO IS TOMMY HILFIGER?

In short, Tommy is and always has been a fashion guy, but his story has a lot of depth. Like most entrepreneurs, his first venture wasn’t Tommy Hilfiger - it was just the first successful one.

Tommy’s first foray into apparel was in 1969 with two friends that he opened a clothing store with called People’s Place.

While the store achieved moderate success, eventually having 10 locations, it declared bankruptcy after seven years of operation. However, its closing set the foundation for Tommy Hilfiger, the brand to be born.

After closing the store and licking his wounds, Tommy regrouped to work on several more ventures, including his own brand Tommy Hill in 1979. After a few years of working on Tommy Hill, he met a businessman named Mohan Murjani. With Murjani backing him financially, Tommy formed the brand we know today as Tommy Hilfiger (which launched in Times Square with the billboard below)

Tommy Got Co-signed by Hip-hop in the Late ‘80s

Well, I be Puba on this here, the n**** from last year
Girbauds hangin' baggy, Tommy Hilfiger top gear - Grand Puba

Before influencer culture existed, trends spread via our favorite celebrities over time. And before social media was a thing, most people learned about new trends from tv/terrestrial radio and word of mouth.

Hilfiger's initial boom in popularity started with Brand Nubian frontman Grand Puba who started donning the apparel and rapping about it on records. After rapping about the brand on Mary J. Blige’s record “What’s The 411,” Tommy got its first (and most important) form of cultural capital - a Hip-Hop co-sign.

BUT, Everything Changed When Snoop Dogg Wore Tommy Hilfiger on SNL in ‘94

Tommy Hilfiger was gaining steam heading into the 90s, but the defining moment for the brand came when Snoop Dogg wore a Tommy Hilfiger Rugby during his SNL performance.

This one moment stamped Tommy as a culturally relevant brand worn by one of rap’s most relevant stars. According to the head of marketing at Tommy Hilfiger, after Snoop Dogg wore this rugby, it sold out everywhere the very next day.

While Ralph Lauren Shied away from Hip-hop, Tommy Embraced It

At that time, our competition wasn’t dressing hip-hop or rock n’ roll [artists]. They didn’t get it. But Tommy was like, “Wow. Can you imagine? They’re freakin’ on stage wearing our clothes? They’re saying my name in a song?” He was so honored because that was unbelievable. - Andy Hilfiger (complex interview)

After Snoop Wore that Hilfiger shirt, the brand was everywhere. But what set it apart from Polo Ralph Lauren, aside from its style, was the presence of its founders.

Andy Hilfiger realized after Grand Puba in the eighties, and Snoop Dogg in the 90s that there was something special with hip-hop. And, while other brands didn’t get it, Andy saw this as a moment to make headway by suiting rappers in Hilfiger gear, inviting them to runway shows, and more.

Other Stars Wearing Tommy , Which Led To More Expansion

By 1997 Tommy Hilfiger spread everywhere.

One of the most prominent stars to don the brand was R&B singer Aaliyah. She loved the aesthetic that the baggy clothes afforded her, and it was very on brand for her style of music.

Hearing of her interest in the brand via her record label, Tommy doubled down on their embrace of Black culture by making Aaliyah (RIH) a model & spokesperson for the brand. They even shot a very dope spot with her that can be seen below.

When asked about it in his interview in Complex, Andy Hilfiger had this to say:

“What Aaliyah really did was show this style, the sexy but sporty-chic style. She brought this swagger, this sexiness. It was just incredible. We created a new look with Aaliyah, and that look is still popular today,” - Andy Hilfiger (complex)

Stars including TLC sported Tommy to the Kids Choice Awards, and even Destiny’s Child could be seen donning Tommy. Aaliyah’s campaign ultimately led to Tommy Hilfiger creating a women’s line which further cemented them in culture.

But… Things Slowed Down By The 2000s

"I looked at the rap community like street kids wanting their own brand. But now I look at that period with the rappers in the 90s as a trend of the moment. What it taught me was never to follow a trend, because trends move on,"

Toward the end of the 90s, Hilfiger still had prominence in the Black community and was worn by popular hip-hop and R&B brands.

The spillover effect of Hilfiger being popular in the Black community meant that it would eventually make its way into pop culture & mainstream America — being worn by Britney Spears, Sheryl Crow, and many others.

However, in 1997 a rumor hit the internet that effectively brought the brand to its knees.

Rumors spread that Tommy was a racist and not thrilled about how Black people were wearing his clothes. Though the authenticity of this rumor couldn’t be substantiated, and no one came forward to verify it, the claim stuck.

Tommy eventually went onto the Oprah Show to clear up the rumors but by then the damage had been done.

The rumors about Tommy coupled with a comment he made about the brand not being just for hip-hop and rather it being for everyone led to people not supporting Hilfiger, and the brand fell into obscurity UNTIL NOW

TOMMY IS COMING BACK IN STYLE

“Fashion comes in cycles, and the cycle is upon [the Tommy brand] because people who were born in the ’90s, they never had the opportunity to see people wearing Tommy logo merchandise on the streets,” says Hilfiger. “They think it’s cool.” - Billboard

In 2017, Tommy Hilfiger started to see a resurgence in popularity (no doubt because of Gen Z’s affinity for nostalgia). According to Tommy, sales rose by 900% following a partnership with Gigi Hadid.

The brand also noticed that their sales started to rebound in Europe, and then in the U.S., courtesy of the next generation of Hip-hop stars (ones who weren’t impacted by the Hilfiger rumors) starting to wear the brand again.

Where Tommy goes from here is unknown, but if the past few years are any indicator of what’s to come, it’ll reach its former levels of hype in no time. I might cop something soon. We’ll see.

Peace.