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There’s something unmistakably electric about a Tommy Hilfiger visit to the Middle East. It’s not just nostalgia, though there’s plenty of that, with the brand’s first store in the region having opened back in 2006 at Mall of the Emirates, it’s the way the brand continues to evolve while staying true to its roots. Oh, and also the fact that an iconic designer, still at the helm of his eponymous brand, is marking an official visit to Dubai – the first in a while (although, he does like to holiday with his wife Dee here frequently, which he reveals at the exclusive VIP dinner. But in an official capacity, the fashion space in the region is thrilled to welcome him).
Nearly two decades after its opening, the MOE flagship has undergone a stunning refit, embodying a modern, elevated take on classic Tommy. This is exactly why the man behind the brand himself was back in Dubai to unveil it, reflecting on how far both the city and the label have come.
In GRAZIA’s conversation with Tommy, the designer opens up about the thought behind the refurbishment, the effortless charm of his SS25 collection (spoiler: linen lovers, rejoice), and the bold risks he took entering this market before Dubai was even on the fashion map. We talk heritage, global pop culture, and how Hilfiger continues to ride the wave of innovation, from Formula One to high-wattage collaborations.
And with the 40th anniversary on the horizon, many things are clear thing’s clear: Tommy Hilfiger isn’t slowing down any time soon and his vision continues to stay ahead of the curve, whilst always keeping it classic.
GRAZIA: Welcome back to the region, everyone always loves having you here. This store in Mall of the Emirates was your first store opening in the region in 2006. Why did you feel that it was time for this refit and refurb, and what was the inspiration behind it?
Tommy Hilfiger (TH): It felt like the right time to modernise and refresh. We’ve become more sophisticated, more elevated, so we wanted to really give the store a lift and make it look more modern, fresh, but still classic Tommy, without losing the DNA.
GRAZIA: The GCC is a region that is perennially in summer, so we love it when brands launch their SS collections because we’re ready to wear them all year round. What are some of your favourite pieces from your SS 25 collection?
TH: I love anything linen. And I love the sailing gear we did from the archive. We did sailing gear back in the ’90s, so we reintroduced it in a new way. We’ve also had an improvement in accessories; the children’s wear is always adorable, always very cute and we’ve become a little bit more sophisticated in the womenswear and the sales are showing that women are responding really well.
GRAZIA: When you launched in the region nearly 20 years ago, you were really one of the fashion pioneers entering this market, because Dubai was not on the international fashion map back then. Do you remember how that partnership kind of came to fruition, and did you feel at the time like you were taking a risk?
TH: I was excited because I had a very strong feeling for the Middle East’s growth. And I saw what was going on over here. I watched when they first opened the Burj Khalifa, and I thought that, you know, Giorgio Armani was very timely to have his hotel in the building. But at the same time, if you look at the clientele,e you see a mix of all different types of people here. The expats are young, old, families – but a vibrant consumer base, and wherever you have a vibrant consumer base, you have people who are interested in fashion.
GRAZIA: It’s a melting pot of cultures here, but what do you think it is about the Tommy Hilfiger brand that really appeals to the women of the Middle East?
TH: I think that the effortless ease of dressing is important: we’re casual, we’re fabric sensitive, we’re comfort sensitive, and we’re price sensitive. So I think when you put all those ingredients together, you have a great recipe.
GRAZIA: Are there any cultural movements that you’re kind of excited to explore coming up?
TH: We’re involved in Formula One. The brand has sponsored a number of F1 teams over the years including Lotus, Ferrari and Mercedes-AMG Petronas. Now we’re sponsoring F1 Academy, which is the female Formula One. And we have a great young driver, Alba Larsen, who has been fantastic. We really feel that being involved in culturally important events is always fun and always appropriate. We’re the official lifestyle apparel partner of the United States SailGP Team, which is sort of like the Grand Prix of sailing – modern, very fast sailboats. We’re making all the uniforms for them and it’s travelling around the world, so that’s a very exciting event. And of course, we’re the official fashion sponsor of the film’s fictional APXGP team with Brad Pitt, and Damson Idris, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, so I think that’s gonna be a very important moment. We’re always doing something out of the box.
GRAZIA: And it’s your 40th anniversary approaching. What have been some of the biggest milestones in the last 40 years?
TH: Collaborations with Gigi Hadid, Zendaya, and Lewis Hamilton were big moments. See-now-buy-now fashion shows were a breakthrough and unique. And JISOO from Korea is one of our brand ambassadors, along with the Stray Kids K-pop group. We took them to the Met Ball last year and we received more eyeballs than any other brand. We dressed them in modern Tommy, and that was a big hit.
GRAZIA: What else have you got coming up?
TH: We’re working on SS 26 now, and we’ve started to look at SS 27 already. When we work that far ahead, we have to sometimes predict what the consumer will want before they know what they want. That is a big move and that’s sometimes a risky move, but we’ve been right more than we’ve been wrong. Mostly, we’ve decided to dive into linen in a big way, it was the right idea because people are buying linen more than anything else right now.
GRAZIA: Tommy Hilfiger is a brand all about creating trends rather than following them, after all…
TH: We do create our own trends, and we’re always looking around the globe to see what’s going on and what is happening in pop culture. That’s what keeps us inspired.
