1. Kritika Dawar FDIW 2 nd Year Kriti Mehta Miriam J Thomson Stuti Goel

2. Introduction and Background Thomas Jacob Hilfiger was born and raised in Elmira, New York His parents originally intended for him to be an engineer He attended Elmira Free Academy for high school Rather than furthering his education, he started to work in retail at the age of 18 Tommy Hilfiger would go to New York City to buy jeans and bell-bottom pants, which he customized and resold at a local downtown Elmira store, Brown's He later opened his own store, named The People's Place, around the block in downtown Elmira. Although the store was a hot spot for teens with frequent contests and live DJ appearances, there were often more people hanging out than shopping. Hilfiger Over the years, a number of stores closed in downtown Elmira as shopping traffic shifted to the new Arnot Mall in Horseheads, New York. It wasn't long before The People's Place became another casualty. This made him look out and reach for bigger plans Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Hilfiger

3. Personal Qualities After attending Elmira Free Academy, he began to work in retail. Hilfiger commuted to New York City where he began to customize jeans and bell-bottoms. He sold his creations at a local store called Brown’s. Hilfiger opened his own shop, “The People’s Place” nearby Personal Qualities DiligentHardworkingRisk takerVisionary Source: http://encyclopedia.jrank.org/articles/pages/462109/TommyHilfiger.html#ixzz0PJwxHFNt

4. Professional Skills Source: http://encyclopedia.jrank.org/articles/pages/462109/Tommy-Hilfiger.html#ixzz0PJz3ubLO Flair for Design: Hilfiger began to design clothing to be sold in his shops in New York Hilfiger was offered assistant designer positions with Perry Ellis and Calvin Klein, but turned them down in order to pursue his own dreams In 1984, the Tommy Hilfiger Corporation was formed, and would go public eight years later It was bought by Apax Partners for over $1.5 billion in 2005. Soon after, a CBS TV reality show called “The Cut” aired. It followed the competition of 16 contestants as they fought to win a design job with Hilfiger. The winner was Chris Cortez In 2004, the company had over 5,000 employees and revenues of almost $2 billion. Following an award for designer-of-the-year from his peers, Hilfiger decided to sell his company.

5. Career After turning to the design aspect of clothing by designing for the rest of his stores in upstate New York, Hilfiger moved to New York City where he was offered design assistant positions with designers Calvin Klein and Perry Ellis. He turned them both down with greater plans in mind. In 1984, he founded the 'Tommy Hilfiger Corporation', with support from The Murjani Group, which went public in 1992. By 2004 the company had 5,400 employees and revenues in excess of $1.8 billion. Hilfiger was named Menswear Designer of the Year by the Council of Fashion Designers of America in 1995. In 1998, Hilfiger gave singer Aaliyah her endorsement deal, in which he honoured her in his Summer 1998 fashion show in Jamaica. In 2005, a CBS TV reality show called The Cut tracked the progress of sixteen contestants as they competed for a design job with Hilfiger in similar fashion to Donald Trump's The Apprentice. In the end Hilfiger chose Chris Cortez. In 2006, Tommy Hilfiger sold his company for $1.6 billion, or $16.80 a share, to Apax Partners, a private investment company. Source: http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Tommy_Hilfiger

6. Situational characteristics which made him successful Made in USA Hilfiger has been the subject of criticism over the manufacturing of clothes in virtual sweatshops in the U.S. territory of Saipan. Because Saipan is considered a U.S. Commonwealth, clothes can legally be labelled as “Made in the USA” even though federal labour laws including minimum wage are not applicable. In 2000, the company settled a class-action lawsuit filed by garment workers who claimed they were practically indentured servants. The Oprah Urban Legend Tommy Hilfiger has been called a racist because of false claims that he made derogatory statement about Asians and black people’s affinity for his clothing while appearing on The Oprah Winfrey Show. These claims were circulated through email, but were proven to be completely false as Hilfiger has never even been a guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show. Source: http://encyclopedia.jrank.org/articles/pages/462109/Tommy-Hilfiger.html#ixzz0PJzhiKWn Source: http://encyclopedia.jrank.org/articles/pages/462109/Tommy-Hilfiger.html#ixzz0PJzwUyK8

7. Product Lines Hilfiger Denim A premium- upscale denim collection for men and women. Designs are inspired by American classics and finished with a modern edge and fresh spirit. True Star Gold fragrance created by Hilfiger and spokeswoman Beyoncé Knowles Tommy Sport a defunct line that came out in the 1990s and capitalized on Hilfiger's popularity in urban areas. Tommy Hilfiger company line of clothes sold in department stores, company stores, and specialty stores H by Tommy Hilfiger An upscale line which was ended after Tommy Hilfiger sold his company, the same sort of style is now carried on under the Tommy Hilfiger label in their specialty stores Red Label A line of denim- themed products including jeans, t-shirts, and sweatshirts Tommy Girl fragrance for women Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Hilfiger

8. References Web References – http://encyclopedia.jrank.org/articles/pages/462109/Tom my-Hilfiger.html#ixzz0PJwxHFNt – http://encyclopedia.jrank.org/articles/pages/462109/Tom my-Hilfiger.html#ixzz0PJz3ubLO – http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Tommy_Hilfiger – http://encyclopedia.jrank.org/articles/pages/462109/Tom my-Hilfiger.html#ixzz0PJzhiKWn – http://encyclopedia.jrank.org/articles/pages/462109/Tom my-Hilfiger.html#ixzz0PJzwUyK8 – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Hilfiger