February 17, 2020 |
Who knew Sunday nights can be so much fun? That usual feeling of dread of heading into yet another week of madness was swapped for bobbing heads to a compilation of greatest Brit-pop hits and euphoria caused by seeing generations of supermodels sashaying down the catwalk. All thanks to Tommy Hilfiger and the fourth chapter of his partnership Lewis Hamilton. After Shanghai, Milan and Berlin, this season saw the homecoming of the Formula 1 icon in a truly trans-Atlantic love affair of style. The first half of the see-now, buy-now catwalk show highlighted the collab, which this time included a 12-piece capsule created with direction of Grammy-award winning musician H.E.R. A partnership within a partnership (is this fashion inception?) also marked the extension of Hilfiger’s brand into important subjects of sustainability, inclusivity and diversity. Explaining his choice of collaborators backstage pre-show, the all-American designer said he looks for “someone who is meaningful to the culture and someone who wants to be engaged with it, not just the face of it.”
But what about the actual clothes? Naomi opened the show in a neon, glow-in-the-dark oversized tracksuit and cagoule by TommyxLewis. According to the brand, over 75% of the styles from this collection were sourced more sustainably, using “100% organic cotton, recycled materials, down alternatives and low-impact denim washes.” Then came along the TommyxLewisxH.E.R. capsule of trackies, hoodies, boiler suits and accessories aplenty, all printed with words from the musician’s best-known tracks. The final part of the show was an ode to the American lifestyle of sailing away. A nautical theme which saw icons like Joddie Kidd, Karen Elson and Erin O’Connor wrapped in vintage-looking maritime scarves served a bit of nostalgia in the forward-thinking proceedings that took place at the Tate Tanks. A singing choir, a fiery model cast including Alessandra Ambrosio, Candice Swanepoel & Jourdan Dunn, and some pretty good-looking clothes – #TommyNow for SS20 was an immersive experience that will be go down in history.
Photographs by Jason Lloyd-Evans.
