Tuesday 9 October 2007

To Hilfiger or not to Hilfiger, that is my question


I'm not sure how or where I got the idea from, but for the last few years I have had in my mind that I should have nothing to do with Tommy Hilfiger products. As far as I and my source (whoever or whatever they were) were concerned he had made it clear that his products had not been designed for black people to wear/own. Someone bought me a very nice Hilfiger top which sits in my drawer, as I haven't had the heart to throw it out and of course have refused to wear. When I went to Austria earlier this year, my friend OP had a Hilfiger suitcase; I relayed the story to her and she was mortified. So much so that when we arrived back in the UK, she took the case back to the shop and demanded her money back. She also told the manager of the shop that as a company they should be ashamed of themselves for stocking these products.
Now, I know a lady that has a handbag shop and she recently had a function at her house for friends and family; we were able to browse and purchase some of her stock at discounted prices. When a few people saw the Tommy bags they too relayed the story, it wasn't long before the house was buzzing with the debate. At the time one of the teenagers of the household was on the internet and not wanting to be left out, she started to search for more information; the first thing she came across was this and then she went to Oprah's website. So then of course everybody was very confused, many people there had been like myself and boycotted his products for years; had we been doing this without reason?
If anyone is able to shed some light onto this story, I'd be keen to hear what you have to say. Although it seemed as if I'd been mistaken, I still couldn't bring myself to buy one of his bags; even though there was one there that I really liked!

9 comments:

N'Drea ~ the Storyteller said...

I'd like to hear some other feedback as well, because I read that he made some racist comments re his products and black people.

Anonymous said...

I remember the same story with him mentioning his products weren't meant for the black community. I til this day don't purchase any of his products. I'm usually focussed on pricing and his are always on the more expensive side.

Anonymous said...

Hi Mel,

Just found your blog via Brunsli's which I have been reading for awhile. I live in Northern Virginia (which is just outside Washington DC) and I am a professed Anglophile! Just wanted you to know that the story about Tommy Hilfiger being racist is FALSE. I saw an Oprah show this summer (which was a rerun from last winter or spring.) Oprah had Tommy on specifically to address this rumor which has been circulating for years.

Anonymous said...

Oh, and I also forgot to add that Oprah mentioned that Tommy Hilfiger had never been on the show until a few months ago. I mention this because acccording to the urban legend he made these so-called racist statements on Oprah a few years ago. Incidentally, there is also an urban legend concerning Liz Claiborne and Oprah that is very similar to this one. Funny how these rumors get so out of hand to the point where it becomes an international incident, lol.

Anonymous said...

Well....I'll be darn!! Pricing is still too high for my blood but happy to hear it's an Urban Legend...

Unknown said...

Yeah, the rumor is false... but on principle, though, i don't wear ANY clothes with logos promonently emblazoned on my person. My POV is that if I am a walking billboard for you, YOU should pay ME to wear your stuff.

Mel said...

Thanks for clarifying things ladies; I'm sure that I'm still not going to be a regular Hilfiger purchaser, but perhaps I'll where that top now!

blackrussian said...

I had also heard that the rumors were false....YEARS ago when they first surfaced. I thought we all got the memo at the time.

I STILL have better things to spend my money on...but IF I saw a purse I simply LOVED...well...

Amen! SS! I don't even wear Old Navy or Victoria's Secret logo items (cited only because they are at a more affordable price point), for exactly that reason. I will NOT pay THEM to advertise THEIR stuff!

How backwards is THAT?

I buy famous brands, I'm just careful to select items that don't prominently display the brand logo.

Anonymous said...

Yep its an urban internet myth there are loads of them.

Denny