The Bite Magazine - Autumn/Winter 2024 - Issue 36

bitebeauty T en years after Tommy Hilfiger launched his name- sake brand in 1985, the globally renowned pioneer of ‘classic American cool’ preppy style released the refreshing, spicy, amber fragrance Tommy by Tommy Hilfiger. The fresh, clean, and energetic masculine scent created by perfumers Annie Buzantian and Alberto Morillas possessed a blend of tangy citrus, cranberry, blue grass, spearmint and lavender with the smell of apple pie and cinnamon. The self-taught designer was a high school student from Elmira, a small town in upstate New York, when he fell in love with music and rock stars’ styles. He wanted to mim- ic their look but couldn’t find any shops in his hometown that catered. So, he drove to New York City with $150 and purchased 20 pairs of bell-bottom jeans to sell back home from the trunk of his Volkswagen Beetle. His selling success allowed him to open his first store, People’s Place, which sold “the cool styles we couldn’t find in our small town.” In 1979, Hilfiger moved to New York City to pursue a ca- reer as a full-time fashion designer. He caught the eye of businessman Mohan Murjani, who was looking to launch a line of men’s clothing. He believed the emerging designer’s entrepreneurial background could approach men’s fashion differently. With Murjani’s support, Hilfiger introduced his first signature collection of modernised button-down shirts, chinos, and other time-honoured American classics. TOMMY HILFIGER Images courtesy of Profile Public Relations