COLLABORATION
MANHATTAN MEETS BROOKLYN WITH TOMMY X ROMEO
AUGUST 17, 2021
WORDS
by KRISTOPHER FRASER
PHOTOGRAPHY
COURTESY
of TOMMY HILFIGER
Tommy Hilfiger has collaborated with his mentee Romeo Hunte for a fall 2021 Tommy x Romeo capsule. The collection was inspired by the Tommy Hilfiger archives using Romeo Hunte’s signature deconstruction techniques to reconstruct, remix, and reimagine classic Tommy Hilfiger pieces like the bonded trench coat remixed with sailing jacket color-blocking or clashed with a leather biker jacket. The TommyxRomeo capsule builds on Hilfiger’s People’s Place Program, a three-pillared platform with the mission of advancing diversity in fashion.
“As a young, upcoming designer, I was lucky to be guided by incredible leaders who made a huge impact on my career,” said Hilfiger. “I am passionate about passing that on, mentoring the next generation of design talent. I’ve been supportive of and worked with Romeo Hunte for over five years. He is one of those truly exceptional newcomers – someone you know is going to make an impact as soon as you see his work. I’m really proud of our capsule - it's truly a meeting point of our two worlds. Together we’ve really focused on passing the mic to the next generation of BIPOC creatives and thought leaders to increase representation and amplify their talent globally. Through the People’s Place Program, we want to give them a true platform to shine.”
“Tommy has been such a supportive mentor to me over the years,” said Hunte. “Reinvention is a fundamental part of my design DNA, so pushing the boundaries of the brand’s archives has been an incredibly creative and meaningful experience. We also wanted to take this concept further, challenging the status quo from the design process to the campaign and the crew to re-imagine and redefine the future. I’m really proud of what we’ve achieved and hope to inspire the next generation of talent to dream big.”
TommyxRomeo
The collection is also non-gender specific and combines Tommy’s approach to Manhattan prep with Brooklyn street style. The campaign features models Ikram Abdi Omar, Aaliyah Hydes, Hidetatsu Takeuchi and Babacar N’Doye. To further bring the campaign to life, two local artists in London and New York City were invited to reinterpret the campaign imagery through vibrant wall art in key city spots in the week prior to the collection launch.
Painter and pattern maker Uzo Njoku painted a mural in her unique artistic style on Nassau Avenue and Banker Street in Brooklyn, New York City. In London, fine artist Annan Affotey showcased his artistic talent with a mural at 112 Tabernacle Street. The murals included a QR code for consumers to explore bonus video content, including behind-the-scenes footage of the making of the murals and interviews with the artists, as well as to view and purchase the collection online. In addition, as part of the campaign, six one-off upcycled TommyXRomeo polos will also be auctioned via the online auction site Catawiki, with proceeds donated to the Fashion Minority Alliance a non-profit focused on collaborating with fashion and industry stakeholders to build and foster a more diverse, balanced, and inclusive industry that advances meaningful and long-term equity and advancement for BIPOC and historically marginalized creative talent.
