FINAL PROJECT: RESEARCH: TOMMY HILFIGER

Tommy Hilfiger

Tommy Hilfiger is one of the world's most famous fashion designers. His premium brand is known by the majority and is it is differentiated with good-quality clothes. From what I heard once, Hilfiger created his brand because he could not find clothes suitable for him in stores. He lacked everyday clothes that would fit his tastes. 

Tommy Hilfiger

Tommy Hilfiger is an American born in 1951 in Elmira, New York, USA. In 1969, he opened his first store, People’s Place, in his hometown. Ten years later moved to Manhattan and in 1985 established his namesake brand. Starting from a single menswear collection, growing to a true lifestyle brand, selling clothes for men, women and kids. The company expanded even more started to sell footwear, sunglasses, accessories and even perfumes. Since then, collaborated with many celebrities, brands and designers.

The company is definitely Hilfiger's biggest achievement. However, in this post, I would like to focus on something else. On one of the special designs. This design is a Cinderella dress created by Tommy Hilfiger for Zendaya for Met Gala.

Zendaya as Cinderella

It cannot be denied that this dress is definitely a masterpiece. Made Zendaya shine, in reality as well as figuratively.

'The actress walked the carpet with her own fairy godmother, Law Roach. He waved his wand, and her dress lit up.' (Bailey, 2019)

Process

The whole magic is technology. Meters of LED lights, numerous batteries and tens of carbon fibre rods. 

The whole process took a couple of months. It was very complex. The technology on the first hand and the constructing and tailoring on the second hand. Before the whole enterprise, the design was required and it also took some time. 

stage #3

You may wonder, why I have used this design as my research element. The answer is actually pretty easy. I want to use LED lights in my final piece of design as well. That is why I was interested in the technology used to create the Cinderella dress. 

The interesting fact is that this mechanism was completed by people who 'also worked on the landmark Hussein Chalayan robot dress show in 2007'. (Nast,2019). And I also wanted to look at the work of Hussein Chalayan because of his futuristic collection. The robot dress was actually the part of the exact same one.

What this research helped me realise is the fact that I will have to consider every single aspect of my design to be able to light it up. I will need a lot of batteries and the lights would probably not be visible during the day.

I am delighted with the Cinderella dress. As I have said before, It is a masterpiece. I know that I will never achieve this kind of effect. However, I will do as much as I can following my own way and idea.

Reference:

Biography (2016) Tommy Hilfiger. [Online] Biography.com. Available from: https://www.biography.com/fashion-designer/tommy-hilfiger [Accessed 04/20/21].

Global, T.H. Biography. [Online] Tommy.com. Available from: https://global.tommy.com/en_int/about-us-biography [Accessed 04/26/21].

Dudbridge, S. (n.d.) Tommy Hilfiger [Online] Catwalk Yourself, Available from: http://www.catwalkyourself.com/fashion-biographies/tommy-hilfiger/ [Accessed 04/26/21].

Bailey, A. (2019) Zendaya is literally Cinderella in a fluorescent Tommy Hilfiger dress at the 2019 Met Gala. [Online] Elle.com. Available from: https://www.elle.com/culture/celebrities/a26395171/zendaya-coleman-cinderella-tommy-hilfiger-dress-met-gala-2019/ [Accessed 04/26/21].

Zendaya dressed as Cinderella at the 2019 Met Gala in light-up dress. (2019) [Online] Harpersbazaar.com. Available from: https://www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/fashion/fashion-news/a27386428/zendaya-met-gala-cinderella-light-up-dress/ [Accessed 04/26/21].

Nast, C. (2019) How Zendaya’s literal Cinderella moment on the met gala red carpet came together. [Online] Vogue. Available from: https://www.vogue.com/slideshow/zendaya-met-2019-dress-transformation-gallery [Accessed 04/26/21].

Persad, H. (2019) LED technology at the Met Gala. [Online] Medium. Available from: https://medium.com/@harishpersad/led-technology-at-the-met-gala-cd610c729d22 [Accessed 04/26/21].

Style Files (2019) Fashion & technology: An in-depth look behind Zendaya’s animatronic MET gala look! [Online] Zendayastylefiles.com. Available from: https://www.zendayastylefiles.com/2019/12/fashion-technology-in-depth-look-behind.html [Accessed 04/26/21].

Kosin, J. (2019) Zendaya is Cinderella—complete with fairy godmother and light-up ball gown—at the met. [Online] Harpersbazaar.com. Available from: https://www.harpersbazaar.com/celebrity/red-carpet-dresses/a27381942/zendaya-cinderella-met-gala-2019/ [Accessed 04/26/21].