By Damien Woolnough
Andy Warhol famously said everyone in the future would have 15 minutes of fame, but at his New York Fashion Week show inspired by the pop artist’s studio, US designer Tommy Hilfiger gave models 15 minutes of rain.
Like Warhol, who demonstrated that art was only an aspect of becoming a household name, Hilfiger understands that fashion no longer starts and finishes on the runway, or else this wet evening in Brooklyn could have been a washout.
Alabama Luella Barker, Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker arrive at Tommy Hilfiger ready-to-wear runway front row at New York Fashion Week in the rain.Credit: Getty
Instead, it was a celebration of a kink-infused collaboration with British designer Richard Quinn, the launch of a punchy new monogram, avatars walking on a (dry) digital runway, pieces ready to buy during the livestream, countless media walls and on-site screen printing as a tribute to Warhol. For an event of this magnitude, rain was just another gatecrasher at the party.
“Not long after I moved to New York, I met Andy Warhol,” Hilfiger shared from his Madison Avenue headquarters, the day before the show. “That was enormously inspirational for me.
“He had this knack for attracting people from fashion, art, music, entertainment, society, and they would hang out at the Factory.
“I was inspired by his love for pop culture. I have always been connecting with pop culture, mainly though music and musicians, but also artists, people from Hollywood, influencers and bringing them into the brand. That was the overall inspiration.”
Models including Ashley Graham and Lila Moss on the runway for the Tommy Hilfiger show at New York Fashion Week.Credit: AP, Supplied.
This was evident in the front row where Jon Batiste, Shawn Mendes, Kate Moss, Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker, having already exceeded the 15-minute mark of global attention, enjoyed the novelty of navigating crowds wearing ponchos from beneath clear plastic umbrellas.
The intermingling of artistry was just as prominent on the elevated runway with the clothing and casting.
Quinn, who first gained international attention by presenting his collection to the Queen at London Fashion Week in 2018, combined his thoughtful approach to cool Britannia with Hilfiger’s collegiate, all-American design language.
By peeking over the umbrella wielded determinedly by the person in front of me, there was a thrilling glimpse of a classic black leather jacket given the studded spike punk treatment and a varsity jacket crowded with flower prints, numbers and lettering. A reversible puffer jacket offered the choice of Quinn’s signature chintz and Hilfiger’s monogram before the umbrella descended again.
The varsity jacket is Hilfiger’s favourite piece from the show.
“That Quinn varsity jacket to me is an epic piece that will forever be iconic in the world of Tommy Hilfiger,” he said.
The kink arrived with monogrammed catsuits, wielded by a curvaceous model wielding a whip, to belt home the fetishistic mood.
At times the collision of English and US sensibilities echoed the magpie approach wielded by Alessandro Michele at Gucci but then an oversized rugby top, college tie or wide-legged khakis reminded you that this is familiar territory for Hilfiger, who has been broadening his aesthetic since 1985.
Drawing equal attention to the boundary-pushing clothing were the models, including plus-size advocate Ashley Graham, Winnie Harlow, Lila Moss and plus-size male model Chad J, greeted with cheers from the front row, dispersing puddles with stomping feet.
A worker attempts to dry the runway during steady rain before the Tommy Hilfiger show.Credit: AP Photo
“We are selective as to whom we bring in, but we are connected to the network of the pop culture world,” Hilfiger said.
The result on the runway was a reflection of the racially, size and age diverse crowd, if you stripped away the ponchos of those watching. It made spotting celebrities difficult when entering the venues by the undercover backstage, where models, guests and celebrities mingled in front of silver foil walls, another tribute to Warhol’s Factory.
For those fleeting minutes, everyone was famous.
Damien Woolnough travelled to New York Fashion Week with the assistance of Tommy Hilfiger and IMG.
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