Neon streetwear goes sustainable for Tommy Hilfiger's London show

[February 17, 2020]    By Hanna Rantala and Sarah Young

LONDON (Reuters) - Neon leisure wear with high-topped trainers and glowing yellow laces opened American designer Tommy Hilfiger's latest show on Sunday, a collaboration with Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton and singer H.E.R. that put sustainability at the fore.

Hilfiger took over London's Tate Modern, the former riverside power station that is now a contemporary gallery, to present the street style-inspired collection of unisex designs plus his more formal Hilfiger clothes for men and women.

The show, which featured supermodels Naomi Campbell, Erin O'Connor and Jodie Kidd, as well as models of diverse shapes and sizes, and accompanied by a live band that rapped, sang and played a steelpan, was underpinned by environmental sustainability, said Hilfiger.

"As a company, it's a priority for us to become sustainable, so we're working very, very hard every single day to become more and more sustainable," the designer said in an interview before the show.

Also speaking ahead of the show, Hamilton said he hoped other luxury brands would follow Hilfiger's lead and improve their sustainability profile.

"In the fashion industry, I think there's a lot of work that can be done with all these brands. I want us to kind of, create a ripple effect," Hamilton told Reuters.

Hilfiger's collaboration with Hamilton is in its fourth season. Hilfiger said teaming up with Grammy Award-winning U.S. R&B artist H.E.R. for the latest collection helped them push boundaries. Among the creations were oversized items emblazoned with the words "unity" and "loyalty".

As for his Spring 2020 collection for men and women, Hilfiger described it as mixing a rock vibe with East Coast prep. Navy and white designs featured fragments of the U.S. flag, alongside oversize duffel bags and quirky jewelry.

The show was a "see now, buy now" event - a trend in the fashion industry that sees labels make outfits displayed in catwalk shows available to consumers to purchase immediately.

The Hilfiger brand, owned by fashion giant PVH Corp <PVH.N>, is one of the best-known names in the U.S. apparel business, with over 1,600 retail outlets in the Americas, Europe and Asia.

(Reporting by Hanna Rantala and Sarah Young; Editing by Peter Cooney)

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