Gigi Hadid gives Hilfiger a dose of Malibu cool
TommyXGigi’s enticing collaborative designs walk down the runway just in time for fall
Model and designer collaborations aren’t revolutionary but TommyXGigi, which launched Friday, feels like a novel concept for the storied brand. And Tommy Hilfiger knows it.
“How can we do something other than what normal designers do when they use a model and photograph them for an ad campaign?” Hilfiger remembers asking himself at the start. In an interview with USA TODAY at the designer’s 5th Avenue store, the pair said they set out to do something markedly different.
And it was an insightful move for the 30-year-old brand best known for the iconic logo sweatshirts and tees that ’90s superstars like Aaliyah and Britney Spears made a requisite for any cool kid’s closet. The fall collection and the over-the-top runway show, which launched the see-now, buy-now campaign, TommyNow, is a return of sorts to the brand’s “It” status.
Was there a social savvy fan out there who didn’t either get tickets to the show, follow it on Instagram or watch the live stream? Not judging by the insane crowds that packed Pier 16, rebranded Tommy Pier Friday evening and filled with fair rides, games and concessions.
Even Taylor Swift, the ultimate bestie and fangirl, made an appearance. Shod in thigh-high red velvet boots, she dashed to her seat shortly before the show started and then left as soon as it commenced. But that was enough to set the social mediaobsessed hordes aflutter, many jumping out of their seats before the models could finish the final walk to get that Snapchat of Swift, otherwise known as the modern-day golden ticket.
All of this Internet-age circus would be for naught if the clothes weren’t enticing, but luckily, they are.
“She has great personal style” Hilfiger says of Gigi Hadid, “coming from Southern California, growing up in Malibu, going to school in Malibu, being very sporty and athletic and All-American with an exotic twist. I thought, ‘This is the epitome of the Tommy Girl.’ ”
And if Hadid is that girl, she’s a girl many are going to want to imitate. One can see Hadid’s tastes and understanding of what young people find appealing, which has helped her become an Instagram sensation, infused in the pieces.
The flowing floral dresses with knee-high socks will undoubtedly be all over the Internet this season, along with the silky bomber jackets and updated signature Tommy-labeled boxers and sports bras. For those who find the leather pants and wool coats out of reach financially, the fringed scarves will be perfect to layer over any sweatshirt to offer a little taste of Tommy, which was exactly the point. “I wanted there to be a piece for everyone depending on their style, you can find something to go with it,” Hadid said, who noted she designed the line with her stylish friends, family and fans in mind. But mostly, she thought about being herself. “I honestly designed every piece as something I would wear.” Taking the final walk down the runway in an oversize logo sweatshirt over a jersey dress and slip-on sneakers, she called to mind another memorable moment: Kate Moss’ walk to a serenade by Naughty by Nature’s Treach at the Tommy Hilfiger Spring/Summer 1997 show. So that officially makes Hadid Tommy Girl 2.0.