Hilfiger dresses Indy in new clothing collection

Tommy Hilfiger, a designer known for his stylish casual wear, is growing up and bringing his clothing with him. Hilfiger greeted fans Friday at the Castleton Square Mall in Indianapolis to introduce his new upscale clothing line, H Hilfiger. The new collection came out of a need for a luxurious line that catered to adults and to boost declining sales in his mens' line, Hilfiger said.\n"As I grow up, I think my customers should come along with me," Hilfiger said. \nHilfiger described the line as a more refined line of clothes that can be worn from day into evening. H Hilfiger will be a more expensive line because of the fabrics and quality used to create the clothing. \n"We have never used 100 percent silk before -- now we are using silk, fine cottons, leather, suede and stretch fabrics with new colors and silhouettes." Hilfiger said. "I took the idea from Seville Row in England with the English bankers that would wear flannel suits with bright colored shirts and ties." \nHilfiger said he wanted to inject color into the mens' line, but many people questioned it asking if men were really going to wear pink button downs and brightly colored striped shirts. \n"Now that our shirts are selling, we can't keep them in the store. Jay-Z and Puffy wear the shirts, saying they traded in their jerseys for button downs," he said. "Button downs are the rage among young college kids and golfers. We are selling a lot of knits." \nThe line will be sold exclusively at Federated Department Stores, and the Castleton Square Mall is the state's only location where the H Hilfiger line is available. Annette Askew, special events director at Lazarus-Macy's, said there is one primary store in each city that will have the line. Other cities carrying the line are Cincinnati, Louisville, Ky, Dayton, Ohio, Memphis, Tenn. and Atlanta. Askew said she is excited about the new line and has high hopes. \n"I am very thrilled he came to Indy," Askew said. "We hope we will profit. Everything is selling. We are getting the tailored suits, and while not all stores have the men and womens' lines, we have both."\nHilfiger said the idea behind the line came from him having to make clothes for himself when he wanted to dress up.\n"I had to start making clothes myself, like the tailored jacket, and button downs with two buttons on the collar," he said. "I would make them, and everyone would want one." \nThough the Tommy Hilfiger collection caters to casual styles, many upscale styles could be seen on the runway, but not found in stores. \n"We would put the dressier clothing on the runway, and only make a few styles for the stores," Hilfiger said. "You would see ads that said 'sold exclusively at Tommy Hilfiger stores,' but there weren't that many."\nHe said the production of the new line completes the Tommy Hilfiger collection.\n"I had been wanting to do a more upscale line for some time now," he said. "I felt like the label wasn't complete until now."\nTo help sell the new line, Hilfiger got the idea for an ad campaign featuring Iman and David Bowie wearing pinstripe suits. He said he wanted to use the couple because they represent the current social climate.\n"They, as a couple, make the H Hilfiger line more refined and grown-up," he said. "I like that they are a diverse couple -- It says being in an interracial relationship is OK."\nAfter he introduced his line, he did a walk through one of his sections within Lazarus - Macy's, and then greeted a crowd of fans from all over Indiana. \nAngela Dunn, a loyal customer to Hilfiger, said she was happy Hilfiger came to Indiana because there are so many people in the state that love his clothes. \n"We have so much Tommy stuff," Dunn said. "You pay a little more but it holds -- the shoes and jeans last forever." \nWhen most designers introduce a new line, they usually begin the production of a fashion show, but Hilfiger is opposed to the idea. \n"I am not terribly excited about putting on an elaborate show for the press," Hilfiger said. "The consumers don't get to see the show, and they need to see the clothes, so we are putting the show on the road." \nHilfiger said he will incorporate some of the H Hilfiger collection into the regular fashion show, but he wants the consumer to be a top priority. As a part of his expansion, Hilfiger has launched Tommy Hilfiger Woman, a line that includes up to size 16 and Tommy Petite. He has also just signed Beyonce Knowles as the new face for his Tommy fragrance. He is also opening stores in China, Japan and India that will include the look of H Hilfiger. He also said the company will be selling the same clothes in Indiana, New York and L.A. \n"The Midwest are just as with it as people in New York," he said.\n-- Contact assistant arts editor Patrice Worthy at pworthy@indiana.edu.