1985: With Mohan Murjani’s backing, Tommy Hilfiger introduces his first signature men’s wear collection, supported by a bold advertising campaign — with a billboard in Times Square — comparing him to three well-known American men’s wear designers.
1986: Hilfiger opens its first stores on Columbus Avenue in New York and Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, followed by stores in Georgetown, San Francisco, London and Stamford, Conn.
1987: Hilfiger’s distribution expands from the U.S. to include Central and South America and the Caribbean.
1989: Distribution widens to Canada and Panama. Company reaches over $30 million in wholesale volume. Novel Enterprises, owned by Silas Chou and Lawrence Stroll, acquires majority ownership of Tommy Hilfiger Inc., terminating the license agreement with Murjani.
Related Galleries
1992: Hilfiger goes public, making its debut at $15 a share in September and soaring to $26 in two months. Distribution expands to Japan. The company generates $107 million in revenues.
1993: Hilfiger sponsors Pete Townshend’s tour. Men’s and boy’s neckwear, belts and small leather goods and boys’ 8-20 launch, followed by men’s suits and sport coats, men’s dress shirts and men’s underwear in 1994. The first licensing deal is signed with the Estée Lauder Cos. for fragrance. Sales hit $227.2 million.
1995: Distribution expands to Mexico, Chile and Venezuela. The company establishes Tommy Hilfiger Toiletries Co. and Tommy Fragrance for Men, in addition to men’s Tommy’s Time Line Key moments in Hilfiger’s history. By Lisa Lockwood Spring 1999 robes, sleepwear and men’s golfwear. Company establishes The Tommy Hilfiger Corporate Foundation to help empower America’s youth.
Hilfiger is awarded the Menswear Designer of the Year Award by the Council of Fashion Designers of America. Sales climb to $321 million.
1996: Hilfiger’s campaigns feature celebrity offspring, such as Ivanka Trump, Mark Ronson and Kidada Jones, to introduce women’s wear and fragrance lines.
Women’s wear collection bows during London Fashion Week in September. Women’s sportswear and Tommy Girl fragrance launch, along with boys’ 4-7, boys’ sport coats and men’s eyewear. Revenues leap 48.9 percent to $478.1 million.
1997: Ad campaigns feature young rising stars such as Kate Hudson and Aaliyah. Hilfiger publishes his first book, “All American: A Style Guide.” Hilfiger sponsors two concert tours: The Rolling Stones’ “Bridges to Babylon” and Sheryl Crow. Tommy Hilfiger Europe BV is established with headquarters in Amsterdam, officially launching the brand in Europe. Distribution broadens to the U.K., Austria, Belgium, Germany, Holland, Italy, Peru, Scandinavia and Switzerland. Product launches include men’s and boys’ footwear and men’s sunglasses as well as Tommy Jeans. Hilfiger opens major flagships on North Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, a big image builder expected to cater to the entertainment industry. Sales increase 38.4 percent to $661.7 million.
1998: Hilfiger becomes the first non- automotive brand to sponsor Ferrari’s Formula One team. Distribution extends to Brazil, Colombia, Greece, Hong Kong, Portugal, Spain, Taiwan and Turkey. The company launches Tommy Hilfiger Home Collection; Hilfiger Denim in Europe; Hilfiger Athletics Fragrance for men; men’s leather; men’s accessories; outerwear; women’s footwear, socks and sunglasses, and infants and toddlers. The company acquires jeanswear, women’s wear and Canadian licensees. Hilfiger has $847 million in revenues.
1999: Ad campaigns focus on the brand’s “Year of Music,” featuring Britney Spears, Jewel, Lenny Kravitz and The Rolling Stones.
Tommy.com launches. Hilfiger sponsors The Rolling Stones’ “No Security” tour, Jewel’s “Spirit” tour, Lenny Kravitz’s tour and VH1 Save the Music’s concert held at the White House, while Tommy Jeans sponsors Spears’ “Baby One More Time.” Hilfiger also co-hosts the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute Gala and publishes his second book, “Rock Style,” focused on rock ’n’ roll inspiration. Distribution expands to Denmark. Product launches include girls’ 4-16, women’s handbags, color cosmetics, European tailored apparel and Freedom Fragrance for Her and for Him. The massive five-story 16,000-square-foot flagship opens on New Bond Street in London, housing men’s, women’s and children’s lines, licensed products and special collection items. Hilfiger’s revenues rise 93.3 percent to $1.64 billion.
2000: The Tommy Hilfiger Corporate Foundation becomes the first corporate sponsor of the Washington Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial to be built on the Washington Mall. Distribution widens to Argentina and Uruguay. Product launches include women’s hosiery and Fall 1999 intimate apparel, men’s and women’s jewelry, junior sportswear, women’s and golf and kids’ underwear. Hilfiger closes two unprofitable flagships, the unit on New Bond Street in London and North Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. Company reports revenues of $1.98 billion.
2001: Distribution expands to Kuwait, Moscow, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Product launches include men’s and women’s watches, women’s belts, Tommy Hilfiger Woman 14-22, T for Him Fragrance and European footwear. Hilfiger buys the license for Tommy Hilfiger Europe from TH International NV for $200 million in cash.
Tommy Hilfiger Corporate opens its first U.S. flagship in Manhattan’s SoHo neighborhood. Revenues dip to $1.88 billion.
2002: The Tommy Jeans campaign features Lauren Bush. The company becomes the exclusive sponsor of the Jones Beach Theater. Distribution expands to South Korea, China, Singapore and Malaysia. The company launches its girls line and T Girl fragrance. Tommy Hilfiger Europe opens its first flagship in Düsseldorf. The company closes 37 of its 44 U.S. stores. Revenues decline slightly to $1.87 billion.
2003: Hilfiger steps down as chairman of his company, assuming the title of honorary chairman and principal designer. Then-chief executive officer Joel Horowitz takes over as chairman. Co-chairmen Silas Chou and Lawrence Stroll leave the company.
Hilfiger becomes the official sponsor and supplier of the U.S. Freestyle Ski Team. Hilfiger also sponsors the Freedom America yacht, which wins Around Alone yacht race. Distribution extends to Australia. Inthe U.S., product launches include men’s leather outerwear and European socks, as well as H Hilfiger. In August, Horowitz steps down as president and ceo and is succeeded by David Dyer as president and ceo. Horowitz remains executive chairman through March 31, 2005. Company sustains a walloping $513.6 million loss, due mostly to a $430 million charge reflecting the cumulative effect of a change in accounting principle. Revenues inch up 0.6 percent to $1.89 billion.
2004: Beyoncé Knowles is featured in the True Star fragrance campaign. David Bowie and Iman are shot together for the H campaign.
Hilfiger publishes his third book, “New England.” Distribution increases to India and South Africa. Product launches include True Star women’s fragrance with Knowles, women’s underwear, ski and eyewear. The company acquires Karl Lagerfeld, including L Galleries and other Lagerfeld collections. Revenues are $1.88 billion.
2005: Hilfiger settles an 11-month U.S. Attorney’s office investigation over Fall 2000 commission prices and pays additional federal income taxes and interest of $18.1 million. J.P. Morgan is hired to find a buyer for firm. Hilfiger stars in a reality TV show called “The Cut.” The company celebrates its 20th anniversary during New York Fashion Week with a fashion show and a performance by the Black Eyed Peas. Distribution expands to Italy. H Hilfiger, a Federated exclusive, is pulled from the market and is reinvented for Hilfiger’s own stores. Product launches include True Star Men’s fragrance with Enrique Iglesias and True Star Gold, the second women’s fragrance under the True Star name and inspired by Knowles. Hilfiger opens his first store in Paris. The company reports revenues of $1.78 billion.
2006: On May 10, Apax Partners completes the acquisition of Tommy Hilfiger Corp. for $1.6 billion and takes it private. Hilfiger’s stock was trading at $16 on the New York Stock Exchange. Fred Gehring is named ceo of the Tommy Hilfiger Group, and Ludo Onnink, chief operating officer.
Hilfiger publishes his fourth book, “Grace Kelly: A Life in Pictures.” Distribution expands to the United Arab Emirates andNew Zealand. Product launches include children’s footwear in Europe, as well as Tommy 10, an updated version of Tommy and Tommy Girl in celebration of the fragrances’ 10th anniversary. The company sponsors golfer Nick Dougherty and partners with soccer star Thierry Henry as a brand ambassador for men’s formal and underwear. Henry designs a limited edition collection for the brand. Hilfiger’s volume is $1.7 billion.
2007: The Tommy Hilfiger Group acquires Tommy Hilfiger Footwear in Europe and Tommy Hilfiger Japan Corp. Li & Fung purchases Hilfiger’s global sourcing operations for $247.8 million in cash. Hilfiger publishes his fifth book, “Iconic America: A Roller-Coaster Ride through the Eye-Popping Panorama of American Pop Culture,” with George Lois. Product launches include Dreaming, a women’s fragrance. Hilfiger and Karl Lagerfeld launch K Lagerfeld, a modern denim collection. The first Hilfiger Denim store in the U.S. opens in SoHo in New York.
2008: The company relaunches Tommy.com. In the fall, Tommy Hilfiger U.S. Sportswear is sold exclusively at Macy’s and the brand’sown specialty stores. Launches include Hilfiger, a men’s fragrance. Revenues hit $1.88 billion.
2009: Hilfigerdenim.com bows. In September, the 22,000-square-foot Tommy Hilfiger Fifth Avenue global flagship, its largest store worldwide, opens at 681 Fifth Avenue. The Tommy Hilfiger Corporate Foundation donates $2 million to Millennium Promise to help end extreme poverty. Hilfiger introduces “Sam Haskins: Tommy Hilfiger Special Edition,” a book by Sam Haskins and a retrospective of his photography. The company assumes control of wholesale and retail distribution in Turkey. Product launches include U.S. children’s wear sold exclusively at Macy’s and brand specialty stores. Stores open in Albania, Belgium, Cyprus, Egypt, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece and the U.S. (East Hampton). Revenues reach $2.27 billion.
2010: Apax Partners sells Hilfiger to Phillips-Van Heusen Corp. for $3 billion. Hilfiger winds down its European license for handbags and small leather goods and plans to take the business in-house beginning in spring 2011.