Tommy Hilfiger Takes over the Oyster Bar in Grand Central for Joyous New York-Centric Fashion Show

 The Tommy Hilfiger collection is modeled during Fashion Week, Friday, Feb. 9, 2024, in New York. (AP)
The Tommy Hilfiger collection is modeled during Fashion Week, Friday, Feb. 9, 2024, in New York. (AP)
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Tommy Hilfiger Takes over the Oyster Bar in Grand Central for Joyous New York-Centric Fashion Show

 The Tommy Hilfiger collection is modeled during Fashion Week, Friday, Feb. 9, 2024, in New York. (AP)
The Tommy Hilfiger collection is modeled during Fashion Week, Friday, Feb. 9, 2024, in New York. (AP)

Tommy Hilfiger threw himself a welcome home party Friday night at Grand Central's Oyster Bar with Questlove as his DJ and Jon Batiste serenading Anna Wintour on his melodica while a bevy of global celebrities looked on.

Turning the iconic restaurant into “The Tommy” club for a night, Hilfiger called his New York Fashion Week show “A New York Moment,” rolling out roomy, '90s prep classics for the bash. The last time he hit town for fashion week was in September 2022, when his crowd braved rain for his “Tommy Factory” show at a Brooklyn drive-in theater.

This time, happy and dry underground beneath the transportation hub's vaulted ceilings, fans lined ramps for a glimpse of K-pop's Nayeon, her countryman Junho Lee, Indian actor Sonam Kapoor and various other friends of the brand: Sofia Richie Grainge and Damson Idris among them. Sylvester Stallone popped in at the end.

Hilfiger stuck to what he knows on models walking through: rugby shirts, blazers, chinos and varsity jackets in corduroy and herringbone. There were tailored women's coats in wool, checks and earth-toned tweeds, and chunky cable knits and mini-dress polos in cashmere.

Hilfiger put some of his famous guests in pieces that were shoppable as he continued to embrace a “see now, buy now” approach to fashion shows.

Who's wearing his take on so-called affordable luxury?

During a preview Thursday at his Madison Avenue offices, Hilfiger ticked off his primary markets of today: Germany, France, Italy, England, Türkiye, various parts of Scandinavia and Greece among them.

“That business is now bigger than the US business,” he told The Associated Press. “We're going to bring it back in the states now because we have really focused a lot on international growth. And this is a statement we’re making, that we’re coming home, and we’re taking it very seriously.”

And who had the most fun during his New York return? Hilfiger himself. He posed with Stallone and others for photos after his finale, when Batiste played along to his hit “Freedom” as he walked through the crowd. The designer even briefly joined Questlove in his booth.

On the runway, Hilfiger kept his logo messaging to a minimum as he attempts to “grasp,” as he called it, US consumers once again.

“We have to do it in a different way. We have to give them more elevated product, more modern fabrics and fits, and avoid redundancy,” he said. “We’ve got a very big polo shirt business, chino pant business, Oxford shirt business. But the consumer wants more than just that. Those are his or her staples. We're now going to bring some more excitement. And some more sophistication.”

Hilfiger started his eponymous brand in New York in 1985. PVH acquired it in 2010. Global retail sales of the brand’s wide range of products totaled about $9.1 billion in 2022.



Nike's New CEO Plans to Go Back to Basics in Brand Overhaul Effort

The Nike swoosh logo is seen outside the store on 5th Ave in New York, New York, US, March 19, 2019. (Reuters)
The Nike swoosh logo is seen outside the store on 5th Ave in New York, New York, US, March 19, 2019. (Reuters)
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Nike's New CEO Plans to Go Back to Basics in Brand Overhaul Effort

The Nike swoosh logo is seen outside the store on 5th Ave in New York, New York, US, March 19, 2019. (Reuters)
The Nike swoosh logo is seen outside the store on 5th Ave in New York, New York, US, March 19, 2019. (Reuters)

Nike's new CEO Elliott Hill warned of a long road to sales recovery for the sportswear giant, but the veteran executive's plan to turn the spotlight on sports like basketball and running, allayed some investor worries.

The company said on Thursday it was expecting third-quarter revenue to drop to low double digits after the embattled sportswear seller's quarterly results beat market estimates.

Hill, in his first public address as CEO on the post-earnings call, said Nike had "lost its obsession with sport" and vowed to put it back on track by refocusing on sport and selling more items at premium prices, Reuters reported.

"The recovery is going to be a multi-year process, but he(Hill) seems to be going back to the roots, back to Nike being Nike," said John Nagle, chief investment officer at Kavar Capital Partners, which owns Nike shares.

"(Hill plans to shift focus) away from some of the streetwear and fashion that had taken over the brand, the heavy discounting and the neglect of retailers. Just taking it back to what worked," Nagle said.

Hill, who was with Nike for more than three decades, returned as CEO in October to revive demand at the firm that has been struggling with strategy missteps that soured its relations with retailers such as Foot Locker.

Earlier this month, Foot Locker CEO Mary Dillon said Hill was "taking the right actions for the brand" and the retailer was "working closely" with Nike to emphasize newer sportswear styles, including Vomero and Air DT Max.

"(The retailers) they want us to get back to being Nike, and they want us to have the unrelenting flow of innovative products... and they want us to get back to delivering bold brand statements that help drive traffic," Hill said.

The company's market share dwindled as rival brands, including Roger Federer-backed On and Deckers' Hoka , lured consumers with fresher and more innovative styles.

Hill also highlighted that a lack of newness led Nike to become too promotional and said he plans to shift to selling more at full price on its website and app.

"With another half year of franchise management coupled with investment to reinvigorate the brand, we believe the next four quarters could be the worst of the margin erosion and earnings per share reductions," Barclays analyst Adrienne Yih said.

At least seven brokerages cut price targets on the stock with some analysts pointing to the lack of a clear timeline for Nike to return to growth.

Shares of Nike, which have lost about half of its value in the last three years, were down nearly about 2% in early trading on Friday.

Nike's forward price-to-earnings ratio for the next 12 months, a benchmark for valuing stocks, was 27.53, compared with 33.47 for Deckers and 32.32 for Adidas.

"A rudderless ship now has a rudder, and a sailor who knows how to drive it," said Eric Clark, portfolio manager at the Rational Dynamic Brands fund that owns Nike shares.