As of 2024, Tommy Hilfiger’s net worth is estimated to be $450 million USD.
Born on March 24, 1951 in Elmira, New York, Thomas Jacob Hilfiger is an esteemed American fashion designer, innovator, and the creator of the Tommy Hilfiger Corporation.
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His ancestors came from Safenwil, a region in the Canton of Aargau, Switzerland. The original spelling of their family name was Hilfiker, but it was changed to an Americanized version after they immigrated to the U.S.
In the 1970s, Hilfiger initiated his career by co-establishing a series of denim and fashion shops called People’s Place in upstate New York.
In the 1980s, he began creating stylish clothing for men under his own name. The business later expanded to include women’s clothing and luxury items like fragrances, and it became a publicly traded company in 1992.
He has received an impressive number of awards, including two from the Council of Fashion Designers of America: Menswear Designer of the Year in 1995 and the esteemed Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012.
He actively participates in charitable endeavors and supports organizations like Autism Speaks and the MLK Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation. Additionally, he has been a member of the board of directors for The Fresh Air Fund, a non-profit organization based in New York that enables disadvantaged children to experience summer camp. As a tribute to Hilfiger’s generous contributions, The Fresh Air Fund renamed their Camp Pioneer program to Camp Tommy in 1999.
In 2012, The Tommy Hilfiger Corporate Foundation rebranded all of its philanthropic efforts as “Tommy Cares.” This new global initiative aims to enhance the brand’s involvement in non-profit partnerships, charitable donations, and employee engagement.
Tommy Cares remains committed to supporting various organizations on a global level, including Save the Children, the World Wildlife Fund, War Child, and Millennium Promise.
In 2016, Hilfiger released his autobiography titled
Hilfiger launched the People’s Place Program in 2020 as a response to the Black Lives Matter movement. This platform aims to support black, indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) in the fashion industry and other sectors. The program is named after Hilfiger’s initial retail venture.
Continue reading for quotes by the iconic fashion designer:
“A classic, navy blue blazer is my staple. It’s a look that can take you from office meetings to dinner out with friends or family.”
“Always stay focused. Always give and try your best.”
“American style is about confidence, independence, diversity and free expression.”
“Being inclusive as far as letting the customers into your world is very important. Being transparent is important. Being diverse is important as a company and a brand.”
“Brands today not only have an opportunity, but a responsibility to make a positive impact on the world.”
“But I think, if you’re in the spotlight, people are going to say bad things, and that’s just the way it is.”
“Consumers around the world always want something unexpected and exciting, and that’s what drives me. I love the challenge of reinterpreting my designs in new ways each season to keep the ‘prep look’ modern and fresh.”
“Fashion is about affordable luxury. To succeed, designers need to be affordable, wearable, accessible, and aspirational.”
“Good sportsmanship goes beyond the game; it starts with respect. Good sportsmanship means treating others with respect. I consider myself a pretty good sport.”
“I always say if I weren’t a fashion designer, my other dream job is being a rock star!”
“I don’t think, generally speaking, there are a lot of innovators and inventors. Many of the designers take what exists already and update it or make it relevant for today. But true inventors have never been seen before. Bill Gates is a real inventor. I don’t think fashion designers invent anything new. They innovate new ways to make fashion. Designers recreate fashion.”
“I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I wanted to build some kind of lifestyle brand that was preppy and cool. I wanted to build a brand of clothing around my own attitude and my own lifestyle.”
“I like to spend time with my family; that’s the most important thing in my life.”
“I looked at my competitors and I thought that if they could do it, I could do it. And if, they are popular and doing well, I could compete with them.”
“I saw my future. I pictured it, but didn’t quite know how to get there. But I knew that I should never give up.”
“I think ‘preppy’ stands for optimism, confidence, energy and authenticity.”
“I think if a young person is passionate about something specific, he or she should follow their passion. You look at Bill Gates or Steve Jobs, all of these successes in Silicon Valley, these people have had passion in a specific area and have therefore succeeded. College isn’t for everyone. If you don’t have that passion or that specific focus in mind, I believe you should go to university and get an education.”
“I think it is really important to have a sense of business.”
“I think it’s dangerous to think that you’re successful, because then you become complacent.”
“I thought if I went into business, I’d be able to control my own destiny.”
“I try not to have regrets and to learn from every experience.”
“I was looking at people like Jim Morrison and David Bowie and Mick Jagger and I thought, ‘Ah! I want to look like them.’”
“I’m a designer of more than clothes. I am a designer of a very creative concept.”
“I’m more motivated than ever to develop innovative products and create new ways to break through. My aim: to keep the brand young and relevant. Passing on that feeling you established years ago to today’s generation is what I’m most passionate about.”
“In designing a lifestyle brand, you have to know more than just designing clothes.”
“If I see someone wearing Hilfiger it makes me proud, but then I wonder what I could do to make the style more relevant for them next year.”
“If I’m going to be known, it’s not going to be for just having a brand. I want to be known for doing good in life.”
“It takes hard work, resourcefulness, perseverance and courage to succeed.”
“It was difficult for me because I was searching for the answer for so long, and the answer was right in front of me: do what I do best.”
“My mother inspired me to treat others as I would want to be treated—regardless of age, race or financial status.”
“My mother was kind and forgiving and would take in all the waifs and strays in our neighborhood; we always compared her to Mother Teresa. She taught me a lot.”
“My passion for music has always inspired my designs.”
“No two days are ever alike, everything is always changing. I don’t think I could be in a business that required me to do the same thing every day. I would be bored. I need a lot of stimulation and activity and being in the fashion business allows one to do different things all the time.”
“On making bold business moves, I just think that there has to be a new way all the time. If you’re not moving ahead and advanced in your thinking, it’s easy to fall behind, and things are moving so quickly, it’s going to be difficult to catch up.”
“On the secret to success, I think you can never stop learning and you learn from other people, their successes, their mistakes. I like listening but I think what you do with it then is the question. And many times, we’ll listen and come up with an idea and do it our way rather than just take an idea and do it verbatim.”
“One of the most important things to me is to make things real, not have models who are perfectly groomed or clothes that are too perfect. It all has to have a twist because that’s how people live.”
“Other than a couple of moments in time, I always thought that, some way, I’m going to make it. I’m just going to make it. And I’m not going to give up. And I’m going to realize that dream. So, I never gave up. And I have realized the dream, and I enjoy every moment of every day.”
“Our look and image never change dramatically from one season to the next, so we need an edge.”
“Our main focus is keeping the brand relevant. Keeping it eternally youthful, keeping the momentum and spirit very positive, but at the same time putting the consumer first always. That has never changed in the 35 years.”
“People want immediate gratification. They see it on the runway, they want to buy it and wear it the next day. They don’t want to wait six months. By the time six months goes by, they may be tired of it, they may have moved onto something else. So, my philosophy has been to always listen to the consumer.”
“The more successful you become and the more financing you have, the more creative you become. If you’re a small brand, starting out and you’re attempting to be creative, you really have to keep your eye on the business. If you don’t take care of the business, the creativity will never blossom.”
“The possibilities are endless, so never be discouraged by a setback, no matter how big.”
“The road to success is not easy to navigate, but with hard work, drive and passion, it’s possible to achieve the American dream.”
“The winners will be the ones who create uniqueness.”
“There are many more important things in life than fashion. But fashion, to me, is part of pop culture. And I’m an art collector. I’m obsessed with art and pop culture. And I say that there is fame, fashion, art, music and entertainment, including celebrity, that really moves the needle in society.”
“Victory is about recognizing all the work that went into achieving your dream.”
“We are far behind where we should be in achieving diverse representation. It shouldn’t have taken us this long to acknowledge that, but we are determined and committed to changing it going forward. We will be intentional, fearless and unwavering in the actions we take. Through the People’s Place Program, we will use our platform to create opportunities and stand up for what is right.”
“We are really living the American dream, to be a successful brand in the States and in Europe and to steep ourselves in our heritage. But we do it with a sense of humor. We don’t take ourselves too seriously in fashion.”
“We look at everything and everyone, and think about how to move the needle forward.”
“Winning a trophy is always nice, but my personal satisfaction comes from reflecting on the passion, motivation, and determination that went into getting me there.”
“You have to always evolve and move forward, and never get stuck in doing what you did before.”