LONDON — Tommy Hilfiger swept into London Tuesday to cut the ribbon on his new Regent Street store, and revealed he was joining forces with French soccer star Thierry Henry.
Hilfiger said during a press conference at The Royal Academy here that he had signed Henry, one of the soccer world’s most successful strikers, who plays for the Arsenal Football Club.
Henry — who’s famous among soccer fans almost everywhere except the U.S. — will be an international brand ambassador, and feature in men’s formalwear and underwear ad campaigns for spring and fall 2007.
“It’s always been tough for us to find the right guy, someone who personifies the nature of what we stand for,” Hilfiger said.
“He’s got great personal style, he’s a winner, he looks really cool in anything we put him in and [he] does casual really well,” said Hilfiger, adding, “And, of course, the p.r. people love the fact that we both have the same initials, TH.”
Hilfiger plans to design a capsule collection of men’s clothing, inspired by Henry’s lifestyle. “I’d like to take his look and re-create it for the public,” the designer said.
The collection will hit the shop floor for fall 2007, and all profits will go to Henry’s new charity, The One For All Foundation, aimed at combating racism around the world. Hilfiger said in a separate interview that the collection would be made up of six to eight items — shirts, trousers, jackets, ties, jeans and sweaters — and would be called TH2 or THTH.
Earlier that day, Hilfiger cut the ribbon on his new store, which had a soft opening at the end of November. It’s the brand’s second flagship here, after the Sloane Street shop, and spans 5,500 square feet. There are another 9,000 square feet of showroom and offices on the floor above.
The Hilfiger store, at 138 Regent Street, is next door to Timberland and Brooks Bros. The store carries all the Hilfiger lines, with the exception of children’s wear and home. Hilfiger declined to give first-year sales projections, but said that his English customers were already going for the more fashion-forward items.