The Business of Fashion
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Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
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LONDON, United Kingdom — Lewis Hamilton, six-time Formula 1 world champion and the latest collaborator for Tommy Hilfiger's #TommyNow collections, hasn't always felt confident in his personal style.
Aged 23, Hamilton secured his first Formula 1 championship, the youngest driver to have claimed the title at the time. But his skill in the car didn’t translate to a feeling of acceptance in the boardroom.
During his first meeting with Formula 1’s boss, “I remember him looking me up and down and it felt so judgemental because I wasn’t in a shirt… I remember feeling like I had to conform to what he wanted me to look like in order to be good enough to be accepted into the environment.”
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Hailed as one of the best racing drivers in the history of the sport, Hamilton began his career at eight years old. He likens his own remarkable rise to the top of Formula 1 to Cool Runnings, the film which documents the unlikely story of the Jamaican Bobsled Team at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Canada.
“I relate a lot of my life to that movie because they arrive at the top of a hill with a rust bucket and everyone goes quiet… when we got to races I remember people looking at us like, 'What are they doing here.'”
From the front row to backstage, Hamilton transformed chance meetings with <span id="477"><a bof-track="" class="kws_link imp clk profile_id_477" content="The American designer was one of the first to launch a global lifestyle brand of preppy, sporty apparel and sold it for billions." data-e="profile.link" data-id="477" href="http://www.businessoffashion.com/community/people/tommy-hilfiger" img="profiles/asset/477/77d163ea80fbc1dfde925669c2d144e959f0ad17.jpeg" profile-popover="" subtitle="Designer & Founder, Tommy Hilfiger" title="Tommy Hilfiger">Tommy Hilfiger</a></span> into a Mercedes-Tommy Hilfiger official apparel partnership.
The naturally shy Hamilton has always channelled his personality through his own sense of style. His first foray into fashion was at a Hugo Boss runway show which sparked an interest in an industry "that embraces individual self-expression." He felt his passion for music and style was reflected in the clothes and that "gave me that space to be able to express myself," he said.
From the front row to backstage, Hamilton transformed chance meetings with Tommy Hilfiger into a Mercedes-Tommy Hilfiger official apparel partnership that ended Mercedes’ long-term relationship with Hugo Boss. In 2018, he inked a deal to become a Tommy Hilfiger ambassador.
“I liked him as a person and I liked his sense of style,” said Hilfiger. “He also brought in a lot of his own ideas and it gave our brand a refresher.”
Tommy Hilfiger’s latest see-now-buy-now collection — a mix of graffiti-laden neon cargo pants, utility vests and classic logo emblazoned knitwear — marked the release of the American brand’s fourth collaboration with Hamilton.
A vegan and environmentalist, Hamilton addressed the collaboration’s steps towards sustainability and the challenges this has encompassed — including packaging and sourcing materials from vendors.
"From the development of the font of the logo down to the zippers and the buttons, he spent hours with the team," said Hilfiger.
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The luxury goods maker is seeking pricing harmonisation across the globe, and adjusts prices in different markets to ensure that the company is”fair to all [its] clients everywhere,” CEO Leena Nair said.
Hermes saw Chinese buyers snap up its luxury products as the Kelly bag maker showed its resilience amid a broader slowdown in demand for the sector.
The group’s flagship Prada brand grew more slowly but remained resilient in the face of a sector-wide slowdown, with retail sales up 7 percent.
The guidance was issued as the French group released first-quarter sales that confirmed forecasts for a slowdown. Weak demand in China and poor performance at flagship Gucci are weighing on the group.