Tommy Hilfiger Bio | Wiki
Tommy Hilfiger is an American fashion designer and the founder of Tommy Hilfiger Corporation. He commenced his career by co-founding a chain of jeans/fashion stores called People’s Place in upstate New York in the 1970s.
Later, Tommy began designing preppy clothing for his own eponymous menswear line in the 1980s. The company later expanded into women’s clothing and various luxury items such as perfumes and went public in 1992.
Tommy Hilfiger Age
Tommy was born on March 24, 1951, in Elmira, New York, United States. He is 71 years old.
Tommy Hilfiger Height
He is a man of average stature and stands at a height of 5 ft 8 in (Approx. 1.72 m).
Tommy Hilfiger Family
He was born and raised in Elmira, New York by his parents Richard and Virginia. Tommy’s father was a watchmaker of German-Swiss descent, and his mother was a nurse of Irish descent and they were both practicing Catholics.
Tommy is the second of nine children including his brothers Andy and Billy. He also claims direct descent from Gilbert Burns, brother of the Scottish poet Robert Burns. Tommy described his upbringing as very happy. He credits his parents with instilling a good work ethic and compassion for others. He has dyslexia.
Tommy Hilfiger Brother
One of Tommy’s brothers, Andy, went on to work as a musician and designer. He is the creative director and namesake of Andrew Charles, a rock ‘n’ roll-inspired fashion line, of which Steven Tyler is the face. Tommy’s other brother Billy would join King Flux as a guitarist.
Tommy Hilfiger Wife
Tommy was married to Susan Cirona, an employee at the People’s Place in Ithaca. The couple met in 1976 and married in 1980. Together they had four children: one son and three daughters. In 2003 Tommy’s daughter Ally was part of the MTV reality series Rich Girls. His son, Richard, is a musician. Tommy and Susan divorced in 2000. On December 12, 2008, he married Dee Ocleppo and welcomed a son in 2009. Dee is a fashion designer and entrepreneur.
Tommy Hilfiger Children
Tommy had four children with his first wife Susan Cirona one son and three daughters. His daughter Ally was part of the MTV reality series Rich Girls in 2003. Tommy’s son, Richard, is a musician. His stepson Julian Ocleppo is an Italian tennis player. He has a career-high ATP singles ranking of 309 achieved on 24 February 2020. He also has a career-high doubles ranking of 167 achieved on 23 July 2018.
Tommy Hilfiger Education
He had an early interest in sports, fashion, and the music industry, a trend that ran in his family. Tommy graduated from the Elmira Free Academy high school in 1969. His parents wanted him to get a college education and pursue a traditional career, and for a time he attended GST BOCES Bush Campus in Elmira.
Tommy Hilfiger Company
In 1985, Tommy founded the Tommy Hilfiger Corporation with support from The Murjani Group. The new clothing line made its debut with a high-profile marketing campaign, for example setting up a large billboard in Times Square designed by George Lois. Tommy left Murjani International in 1989. His Corporation went public in 1992, introducing Tommy’s signature menswear collection.
He was named Menswear Designer of the Year by the Council of Fashion Designers of America in 1995. After licensing Pepe Jeans USA in 1995, and in 1996, Tommy’s corporation began distributing women’s clothing. He opened his first store in Beverly Hills, which was followed by a store in London in 1998.
Tommy was serving as the company’s co-chairman by 1997. In 2006, Tommy sold his company for $1.6 billion to Apax Partners, who next sold it in 2010 to Phillips-Van Heusen for $3 billion. He remains the company’s principal designer, leading the design teams and overseeing the entire creative process.
Tommy Hilfiger Style
Tommy’s collections are often influenced by the fashion of music subcultures and marketed in connection with the music industry, with celebrities such as American R&B artist Aaliyah in the 1990s. In 2005, contestants in the CBS reality show The Cut competed for a design job with Tommy in a similar fashion to The Apprentice. In 2012, he was awarded the Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America.
Tommy Hilfiger Books
In January 2015, Tommy announced that he was working on his memoirs. The memoir, American Dreamer: My Life in Fashion & Business, co-written with Peter Knobler, was published on November 1, 2016. In a statement, Tommy described it as a roadmap of the moments that have defined both his 40-year fashion career and his personal life. The book covers his childhood, his early business ventures, and his later life in fashion. He published his first book, titled All American: A Style Book in 1997.
Tommy Hilfiger Net Worth
He earns his wealth from his career, therefore, he has amassed a fortune over the years. Tommy’s estimated net worth is $450 million.
Who Is Tommy Hilfiger Wife
On December 12, 2008, he married Dee Ocleppo and welcomed a son in 2009. Dee is a fashion designer and entrepreneur. Tommy was previously married to Susan Cironawith who he has four children.