What went down at Tommy Hilfiger’s Shanghai show

For the past four seasons, Tommy Hilfiger has taken his shows off the schedule and off (or should that be on?!) season. While the designers presenting in the coming fashion weeks will be showing SS19 collections, his brand just debuted its AW18 collection – and after New York, Los Angeles, London and Milan, last night he touched down in Shanghai. Here’s what went down.

THE SHOW WAS HELD ON A PIER... 

... Overlooking the city’s famous skyline of cloud-grazing towers. Just before the show began, one lit up in entirely, flashing the famous blue white and red Tommy logo. Continuing his efforts to democratise his fashion shows, 300 tickets were available to members of the public, with a further 700 for industry guests and VIPs, all of whom filled specially built bleachers alongside the runway.

THE COLLECTION WAS ACTUALLY THREE COLLECTIONS 

The TommyXLewis collab kicked off the show, with Hailey Baldwin leading a colourful procession of tracksuits made with racing champ Lewis Hamilton. Shanghai isn’t exactly unknown territory to him – he’s won the Chinese Grand Prix (held annually in the city) five times, more times than any other driver. Then came the street-ready Tommy Icons capsule collection, which included pieces designed by Baldwin and fellow brand ambassador Winnie Harlow, and finally the Hilfiger Collection of men’s and women’s runway looks.

THE THEME OF THE SHOW WAS THE POWER OF ICONS... 

... With the collection remixing iconic motifs as a way of giving new meaning to classics. It reached into the Tommy archives and (no surprises here) pulled out a lot of preppy Americana, splicing it with pieces which felt more grunge and hip hop, like layered plaid shirts, puffa jackets, and Timberland-esque boots. Also present? Varsity motifs, an old Hilfiger crest, and a whole lot of red white and blue.

EVERY SINGLE THING ON THE RUNWAY WAS SHOPPABLE 

From the pool slides to the parkas, every item on the catwalk could be bought by people tuning in to watch the show in over 70 countries. There was also a special partnership with Tmall, the China-based ecommerce platform that holds the title of the world’s biggest, boasting a staggering 500 million users a month. Orders made in some cities, including Shanghai, were even delivered in 24 hours – so by the time you’re reading this, there’s a pretty good chance people are already wearing their new garms.

BACKSTAGE, TOMMY SAID... 

“Shanghai is one of the fashion capitals of the world. We have a large audience here and it's growing. Lewis has a tremendous following here and we thought, ‘Okay why not?’ They're very modern here. People are buying off the runway – they want the latest and the best.”