Tommy Hilfiger, on how perfectionism rules his life

Tommy Hilfiger Designer and Founder Tommy Hilfiger CorporationAmerican Cool and Tommy Hilfiger are often mentioned in the same breath and the credit for making the former a global fashion trend goes to Hilfiger On a Sunday evening I meet the man at a suburban fivestar hotel where he is staying to commemorate his brandrsquos 10th anniversary Hilfiger looks dapper in red chinos royalblue loafers and a blue checkered shirt and appears far from tired despite having a chocablock schedule As we settle down I ask him what does the term American Cool imply The 62yearold says ldquoIt means casual By lsquocoolrsquo Irsquom referring to the youth as in every country they are the ones who are influenced by pop culturerdquoTommy Hilfiger defines his personal sense of fashion as simple comfortable yet classy Pic Rane AshishIt has been 35 years since the sexagenarian came to India to source fabrics and look for tailoring and manufacturing units Ever since his relationship with the country continues to blossom ldquoIn the first year itself I was invited to the factory ownerrsquos house for lunch As he guided me to the dining table I was taken aback as I saw there wasnrsquot any cutlery lsquoWe eat with handsrsquo he told me I donrsquot think I have ever laughed harder than that All through my life I was taught never to use my hands while eating and here I was in a country where eating with hands was a part of their culture I lapped up the food happilyrdquo he saysThe entrepreneur recalls that over the last three decades during his visits to India he has noticed the transformation the country has undergone ldquoBack then women preferred sarees while men were comfortable in pyjama kurtas There were fewer highrises Premiere Padminis and Ambassadors were the only cars on the roadrdquo he saysBut over the years not only has the country developed but even Hilfiger has become a household name Thanks to foreign direct investment and the influx of international luxury brands in shopping malls Hilfigerrsquos apparels accessories and perfumes with his trademark bluewhitered rectangular logo are a common feature in many peoplersquos wardrobes ldquoItrsquos been a great journey since I opened my first store in Bangalore in 2004 I couldnrsquot have asked for morerdquo says the designerJourney to the topEvery successful individual has had a journey replete with ups and downs and Hilfigerrsquos life is no exception Born in a middleclass family in Elmira upstate New York Hilfiger began working at the age of 11 by distributing newspapers ldquoMuch to my parentsrsquo dismay I didnrsquot go to collegerdquo he saysHe admits that he knew that he wanted to be successful but was clueless about which profession he should take up ldquoI would dream about being a musician but I wasnrsquot talented enough At some point I wanted to be a footballer but I wasnrsquot big enough I loved the way musicians such as Mick Jagger Led Zeppelin and Jim Morrisson dressed during the late rsquo60s and early rsquo70s I was inspired by their edgy dressing style and wanted to be a part of the fashion revolutionrdquo he admitsAt an early age he enjoyed wearing trendy clothes such as Oxford shirts and chinos Taking his love for fashion forward he started his first store Peoplersquos Place ldquoI set it up at the age of 18 with 150 in my pocket and 20 pairs of jeans which I bought from other stores It was an instant hitrdquo explains the fashion czarWhen everything appeared to be going his way Hilfiger went bankrupt at 25 ldquoI was devastated I always believed that the store managers would be honest in running the stores but I was mistaken The bankruptcy set me back and I realised that I needed to take the brand far more seriously and understand the business of the businessrdquo recalls the entrepreneurldquoThere was too much on the line I had to prove to myself that I wasnrsquot a failure At the same time I had to show my parents that even though I didnrsquot go to college I had what it takes to survive in the lsquorealrsquo worldrdquo he saysGradually he focused on strategies and learnt to read balance sheets After a client rejected Hilfigerrsquos designs as the former didnrsquot want to expand beyond jeans the designer built his own brand in 1984 A manufacturer backed him but claimed that his buyers had a different sensibility and werenrsquot attuned to the kind of clothes that Hilfiger had in mind for them So the young designer took all the clothes and went doortodoor selling them He was rejected a number of times but he was determined The father of five focused on the business every single day and it grew gradually By 1988 his sales soared to 25 million In the mid1990s it reached 500 million and by the end of that decade it was 1 billion Today his lifestyle brand has a business of over 64 billionItrsquos a well known fact that when one becomes famous they are constantly under scrutiny and Hilfiger got a taste of it when in 1996 the rumour mills were abuzz with the news that he made racist comments against Asians and Africans ldquoThe rumour was absolutely false Probably a jealous competitor had planted it It shattered both my family and me I never categorise people In fact I always have and always will make clothes for everyonerdquo he explainsLearning lifersquos lessonsDesigners around the world constantly deal with the pressure of hitting the right note with customers but sometimes they do get it wrong ldquoEvery designer needs to have a sense of what clicks with their customers You do that by tapping the culture of a particular place and the trends that have made a mark For instance I know that a particular pattern or colour will never be a hit with a certain section of people hence I will never repeat itrdquo says the fashion iconHilfiger confesses that over the years he has learnt to take criticism in the right spirit ldquoPeople have told me that a particular outfit I designed is awful or the quality isnrsquot great But you learn from such feedback and improve upon itrdquo he statesHaving learnt his set of lessons Hilfiger admits that he is more relaxed about his collections than he ever was but at the same time he believes in perfectionism both at work and at home ldquoI want everything to be perfect I am also obsessed about symmetry If I see a particular chair kept on the right I would want a chair on the left to be complimenting it Also if a painting at home is even slightly tilted I cannot rest until I have put it straightrdquo he laughsHilfiger is a man of many interests Apart from listening to music the Beatles and Rolling Stones fan also loves collecting art and enjoys activities such as biking volleyball and sailing ldquoI am a selfconfessed foodie and Italian and Indian are my favourite cuisines While in India I make it a point to gorge on Naan Dal Chicken Tikka Butter Chicken and Seekh Kebabrdquo he laughsHilfiger has been designing for the Indian customers for a long time now and sees a sea change in the fashion sensibilities of the population today ldquoI closely follow Indian fashion and admire the works of Prabal Gurung Rajesh Pratap Singh and Sabyasachi I also love Sonam Kapoorrsquos dressing sense She is incredibly talentedrdquo he addsHe confesses that he has now trained his sights on architecture ldquoI love architecture and investing in projects I just bought a hotel in Miami and am working towards redecorating it If I get my way I wouldnrsquot mind spending all my time indulging in these pockets of interestsrdquo adds the selftaught designer sheepishlyHilfiger is known to be stylish and considers his dressing sense to be simple comfortable yet classy Ask him whether he takes fashion tips from anyone and he quips ldquoNo way I donrsquot listen to anyone I make my own rulesrdquo he signs off