Tommy Hilfiger x FRGMT.
In the 1990s, a Tommy Hilfiger rugby shirt could travel a long way from its preppy origins, landing in hip-hop wardrobes several sizes bigger than the designer might have intended. That cultural detour is exactly what makes the American label’s new collaboration with Hiroshi Fujiwara interesting, bringing New York’s collegiate wardrobe into conversation with Tokyo’s streetwear sensibility. For their first partnership, Tommy Hilfiger and Fujiwara’s FRGMT revisit the decade that helped turn American prep into a language understood far beyond the Ivy League.
“I’ve always been inspired by bringing different worlds together,” says Hilfiger. “For this collection, we went back to some of our favourite ’90s pieces and looked at them through his distinctly Japanese point of view.” The result is a limited-edition capsule that holds onto the familiar while introducing a few unexpected turns, with a pale blue Tommy Flag replacing the brand’s traditional red, white and blue treatment and FRGMT’s signature thunderbolts and polka dots appearing throughout.
The wardrobe begins with the building blocks of prep: rugby shirts, button-downs, varsity jackets, chinos and field jackets. Archival favourites join the line-up, including the Regatta jacket, sailing polo and duffel bag, while the wider collection extends into denim trucker jackets, drawstring hoodies, cable-knit jumpers, diamond-check knits, relaxed T-shirts, ankle jeans and accessories such as checked caps, wool beanies and a duffel bag. Soft flannel check shirting, dry cotton jersey, washed nylon and heavyweight cotton twill give these familiar designs a variety of finishes.
Tommy Hilfiger x FRGMT.
Tommy Hilfiger x FRGMT.
For Fujiwara, the appeal goes back to his own encounters with music and subculture. “I was into the punk music scene and London culture during my teenage years,” he explains, before recalling his later discovery of hip-hop in New York. He remembers seeing artists wear Tommy Hilfiger “in their own way”, often through baggy, oversized proportions that gave the clothes a completely different character. The campaign follows that same spirit through a fast-paced film set against New York street culture, with skateboarding and spontaneous movement bringing an uptown wardrobe into a more playful setting.
Hilfiger’s own cultural outlook dates back to People’s Place, the store he opened at 18 as a meeting point for young people to discover clothes, listen to records and connect. Fujiwara, meanwhile, built FRGMT around his distinctive view of design and the influences he gathered across London, New York and Tokyo. “Hiroshi and I come from different places, but we share that curiosity about what’s happening around clothing,” says Hilfiger. “That common ground gave us a natural connection when we started working together.”
Tommy Hilfiger x FRGMT.
The Tommy Hilfiger x FRGMT capsule is now available at selected Tommy Hilfiger stores and online. Find out more here.
photography. courtesy of Tommy Hilfiger
words. Gennaro Costanzo
