James Corbin.

Writer Amelia White

How does one address a fashion icon? I ask Mr Hilfiger at the beginning of our Zoom call. ‘How about Tommy? Like everyone else,’ he replies, setting the tone for a casual and agreeable exchange. Our conversation takes place on the day Joe Biden officially enters the Oval Office, taking over from his predecessor and inheriting a deeply divided country. On the days leading up to Biden’s victory, Tommy was wondering how what some refer to as the most important election in the history of the United States of America would pan out. ‘They were extending the counting of the votes. There was a lot of push back, a lot of questions as to whether there was fraud et cetera. But they could never prove it, and right now we’re looking at Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as President and Vice-President. Today is their first day, and we must look ahead with a very positive and strong attitude. We must look at the past as an experience, well, a crazy one.’ We speak as the pandemic is still paralysing the world, but the feeling of hope is greater than ever. ‘This has been a strange time for everyone. We’re hoping to come out of it very soon with the vaccines. We’ve been working really hard from home, on Zoom, creating our collections, our marketing. We’ve learned to work in a different way now.’ Covid-19 has of course put a strain on the brand bearing his name but has also impacted his personal life for the good. ‘I got to spend more time with my family. But professionally it’s been a bit of a challenge, because I like to be around a lot of people. And I like to touch and feel what they’re working on.”