The Hindu Business Line : Tommy Hilfiger set for Indian summer

A LEGEND'S aura rests easy on him as Tommy Hilfiger renews his ties with India. It's a relationship that dates back to the 70s when he was still a rookie on the road to success. And now, as he formally unveils his $2 billion business, Tommy Hilfiger is all set to leave a deeper imprint here this Indian summer.

"The Indian economy is soaring. I think the Indian people love brands. We have a partnership with Arvind and Murjani and it doesn't get better than that. We are also powerful as a brand to move into a country and do well. We back it up with great stores, products, newness at the same time as in the rest of the world and wonderful advertising. There isn't another Amercian designer on this soil. It is because maybe they don't understand it, maybe they don't know or maybe they don't care. I understand it. I care about it and I am excited about it," Mr Tommy Hilfiger, Honorary Chairman and Principal Designer of Tommy Hilfiger Inc, said, in an exclusive interview to Business Line.

"My ties with this country dates back to 1978 and I fell in love with Bombay when I came first. I used to frequent the country in the 70s and the 80s but not so later," said the designer, who has forged close connections with many Indians, especially Mohan Murjani, who played a key role in the success of Tommy Hilfiger.

The eponymous designer behind one of the most recognisable fashion labels in the world is in the country to launch exclusive stores in Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore. "Tommy Hilfiger, the brand is a phenomenon to me. I never expected it to grow so fast. I have a duty to the customers and to myself to keep it great," the designer said, busy as he is in reviving the business from a downturn. The Indian foray is the first new international venture for Tommy Hilfiger since 1999 when it decided to cut back on some distribution "to focus on upgrading products, fabrics and advertising."

Tommy Hilfiger is today the biggest designer brand in South America, Central America and Canada. It is the fastest growing in Europe and is among the top 10 brands in Japan where the competition is perhaps the hottest in the fashion circuit. "There was a time when I was not working hard, a time when I was in a quandary whether to go on with the business. I was thinking of selling it. The business had plateaued and I was thinking maybe it is over. I thought the whole fashion world was not interested in fashion and was going minimalist. One morning, I got up and decided not to sell the business and told myself that I have to do what I do the best," he said.

The designer reckons that his decision to focus on the creative — on the product and the image — and leaving the business and financial aspects to a CEO has helped as there has been "a dramatic increase in our product line and growth."

While Tommy Hilfiger lost a lot of steam in the late 90s owing to what critics call "over branding" — which the designer claimed is a difficult problem to tackle for any power brand in the world — there were other external problems to tackle. A rumour on the Net that the designer was a racist and had made statements against African Americans, Hispanics and Asians in an Oprah Winfrey show hit business. "It affected me personally much more than anything else because it was untrue. I was never on the Oprah show. Oprah herself said Tommy was never on the show and that I know he will never do it. In America, where the competition is so strong there are envious people who will do anything to create havoc for the opposite team. Smart people know the difference. Our business grew during this time from $1 billion in wholesale to $2 billion. If it did hurt us, we can't calculate it," he said.

The designer, who saw the power of "cool urbanwear" as a fashion concept way back in the 60s, said, "I am introducing Tommy Hilfiger in India the same way as I introduced it to the world. Amazing quality, great fabrics, classics with a twist, newness, fun, colourful and lot of positive energy." Welcome to Tommy country.

More Stories on : Interview | Readymade Garments | Brands

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page