Tommy Hilfiger Biography

Famous for his designer line of clothing and fragrances, Tommy Hilfiger is an American fashion icon who has wrenched his way from bankruptcy to become the owner of a billion-dollar company. Holding his own beside fashion giants such as Perry Ellis, Ralph Lauren, and Calvin Klein, Hilfiger has built a line that centers around his original vision of fashion "for the people."

Thomas "Tommy" Jacob Hilfiger was born in Elmira, New York, on March 24, 1951. He was the second of nine children born into the Irish Catholic Hilfiger family. Forgoing a college education, Hilfiger jumped right into the retail fashion industry at the age of eighteen working for a downtown Elmira retailer. Before long, he opened his first shop, aptly named The People’s Place, but by the time Hilfiger was twenty-five the store was bankrupt.

Hilfiger didn’t take his initial failure personally; he simply kept working and when he owned a total of ten stores throughout New York, he turned to the design aspect of fashion. He moved to New York and though he was offered positions as design assistant with Calvin Klein and Perry Ellis, he turned them down to focus on his own dream. In 1985 Tommy Hilfiger’s namesake was given to the company he founded, which is now a multi-billion dollar company with over forty licensures and products sold world-wide.

Though Hilfiger has been criticized for heavily placing the Tommy label inside, outside, and pretty much all over his designs, Tommy Hilfiger has been a hot fashion trend seen from the urban sidewalks to the suburban malls. In 1995, Hilfiger was named VH-1’s Menswear Designer of the Year. Today, Tommy Hilfiger has five separate Hilfiger lines including Red Label and H by Tommy Hilfiger. Tommy Sport, no longer in production was huge in the 1990s. A new line, Tommy Sailing, is slated for release in early 2007.

Tommy Hilfiger is estranged from his wife, Susie, with whom he has four children. His daughter, Ally, starred in and co-produced the 2003 MTV reality series Rich Girls. Hilfiger himself tried his hand at a reality show titled "The Cut," which was loosely compared to Donald Trump’s The Apprentice, though not nearly as successful. In 2006, Hilfiger found himself making news headlines alongside Axel Rose after Hilfiger allegedly assaulted Rose at a party. Though the incident made headlines it ended without consequence. Axel reportedly behaved like a gentleman and later dedicated an acoustic performance of "You’re Crazy" to what he called "My good friend Tommy Hilfiger."

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