Daddy Cool by Hadley Freeman

     The news article "Daddy Cool" by Hadley Freeman describes the business aspect of fashion. He explains Tommy Hilfiger's career in fashion, his designs, based on fluctuating ideas among society, and the finances of his business. The buisness began when Hilfiger was a young adult when he bought bell-bottom jeans from department stores and sold them to his friends to gain a profit. He opened a store in Manhattan called The People's Place where he sold all sorts of items, including non-clothing products, such as records. The store became more of a hang-out and went bankrupt when Hilfigers was twenty-five. Two years later, in 1986, he established a new company and began comparing himself to the most famous designers of that time including Perry Ellis. Hilfiger was able to get celebrities to appear wearing his clothing and by that time he was in the major league of fashion.
     Tommy Hilfiger's brand, in 2006, was sold to London-based Apax Partners for just over one and a half billion dollars and for three billion dollars to Phillips-Van Heusen in 2010.
     Hilfiger says "I looked at the rap community like street kids wanting their own brand. But now I look at that period with the rappers in the 90's as a trend of the moment. What it taught me was never to follow a trend, because trends move on,". He realized that altering his style to fit with what is in style among society was difficult and not always best.  Trends are hard to keep up with and not everyone will always have the same idea of what is in style. He returned to his "preppy" style and found that he was more comfortable and more successful.

 What has Tommy Hilfiger's experiences as a young designer said about societies reaction to fashion?

Freeman, Hadley. "Daddy Cool." The Guardian. 05 Feb 2011: 33. SIRS Renaissance. Web. 26 Feb 2012.

A Perfect Fit

     The magazine article "A Perfect Fit" by Victor Wishna describes the influence of Jewish people and women in the fashion industry in the early to mid twentieth century and during WWII.  He describes the effects that WWII had on what was being produced and people's changing work ethics.  For example, a Sephardi-owned firm that had originally manufactured undergarments began producing parachutes for soilders and uniforms.
     Jewish people had a major impact on American fashion designs during the time of WWII. Their capabilities to use machines that more efficiently produced clothing and various other products made them major components in the fashion industry. Many Jewish people had immigrated to cities such as Philadelphia, Baltimore, Rochester, Cincinnati, and Chicago which quickly become fashion driven cities. The Yeshiva University Museum in New York City honors these people and their influence on American fashion.
      Many women were also able to begin managing shops and designing clothing as they made their impact on the fashion world. Women like Nettie Rosenstein, Hattie Carnegie, and Sally Milgrim were  recognized at the Yeshiva University Museum in New York City for their introduction of women into fashion designing in America.

What other major societal events have had a major impact on American fashion?

     Wishna, Victor. "A Perfect Fit." Humanities (National Endowment for the Humanities) Vol. 27, No. 2. March/April 2006: 30-32. SIRS Renaissance. Web. 18 Feb 2012.

Introduction to fashion evolution blog

Fashion plays a very important role in many of our lives. Our fashion tells a lot about our personality and interests. It also has been an important factor in our history and explains societal changes and attitudes towards different topics. What has the evolution of fashion explained about society and our country? I am creating this blog to answer this essential question by describing the changes in fashion and styles over the last century. The URL address for this blog is www.fashionevolutionblog.blogspot.com.