Tommy Hilfiger Talks Gigi Hadid and Ivanka Trump in an Exclusive Interview


Asked to describe Gigi Hadid in one word, Tommy Hilfiger gave 11: All-American girl next door with an exotic twist to her look. The fashion designer, whose new book is titled American Dreamer, has found a lot of success working with the 21-year-old.

But the pair’s lucrative partnership (their recent collaboration, which debuted in September and flew off shelves) almost didn’t happen. “Our casting director said, ‘She doesn’t really fit because you know she’s not quite as tall as the other girls, she’s not quite as thin,'” Hilfiger tells Yahoo Style’s Joe Zee. So the compromise was, she’d wear a red, white, and blue poncho during Hilfiger’s New York Fashion Week in 2015. “It covered a lot of her body unfortunately, but it received millions of hits.”

gigi-poncho
gigi-poncho

Throughout Hilfiger’s long career, he’s displayed a talent for of tapping up-and-comers. Before making it big, Beyoncé and Destiny’s Child, Scarlett Johannson, Josh Hartnett, and others all appeared in ads for the brand. One campaign even featured a slew of celebrity “offspring” including Kimberly Stewart, Kidada Jones, Balthazar Getty, and Ivanka Trump.

Kimberly Stewart, Balthazar Getty, Kidada Jones, and Ivanka Trump in a Tommy Jeans ad.
Kimberly Stewart, Balthazar Getty, Kidada Jones, and Ivanka Trump in a Tommy Jeans ad.

What was Ivanka like back then? “She was a doll, she was a sweetheart,” he admits. “She is today. More sophisticated, more grown up. She’s an amazing girl.”

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