Bid On These One-Off Designer Pieces To Help Save The Planet

If we’ve learned anything from 2020, it’s the importance of collectivity and communication – even if it comes with a crackly connection and a never-ending webcam delay. Luckily, Tommy Hilfiger has had no such issues: with its ongoing Moving Forward Together campaign, the iconic brand has spent the last few months using tech to unite forward-thinking creatives worldwide. 

Tommy Hilfiger’s latest idea comes in the form of Together We Give Back, an online auction of 24 exclusive pieces customised by an all-star cast of global talents. The looks will be up for grabs on Catawiki – the online auction platform for collectibles – and are available to view now, with bids open from 23rd October for 10 days. Not only do the highest bidders get their hands on a piece of Hilfiger history, they can rest easy in the knowledge that 100% of the proceeds will go straight to WWF (World Wide Fund For Nature), who will invest the money in long-term water scarcity projects.

Collaboration was at the core of the design process, too. Made from a combination of 100% organic cotton and leftover fabrics, the looks were first created by customers on the brand’s website before being passed on to the likes of Soo Joo Park, Halima Aden and Michaela DePrince, as well as 21 other trailblazers across fashion, art, music, entertainment and style. (Think YouTube stars Calle y Poché, South Korean singer Hwasa and travel influencer Haifa Beseisso.) In a series of one-on-one video sessions, the stars then used Hilfiger’s lauded STITCH Lab tech to stamp their personalities across the classic, colour-blocked designs.

Initiatives like these underscore the key values of Moving Forward Together: sustainability, inclusivity and innovation. "It means to build an inclusive, loving and respectful collective conscience through empathic conversations and interactions," says model Soo Joo, whose design features the word ‘TOGETHER’ stamped in Hilfiger’s signature navy and red. "What’s more beautiful than celebrating individual diversity and differences while coming together?"

For Michaela DePrince, a Sierra Leonean ballet dancer whose story of triumph over adversity is now known worldwide, the campaign presented an opportunity to share messages of hope. Fittingly, her design comes with a short, defiant mantra: ‘I Rise’. "What Moving Forward Together means to me is creating opportunities to spread a message of hope, power and love," she says of her involvement. "The hope we need to believe in a better world, the power we need to make a change, and the love for each other, no matter who you are or what you look like, that will be the basis on which a new world will be built."

This sense of compassion and unity is more important than ever for tailors and artisans worldwide, whose livelihoods have been hit hard by the pandemic. The campaign will benefit them, too: in keeping with Hilfiger’s zero-waste ethos, they’ll be sent clothes to repair. The industry can’t change overnight but Hilfiger has spent the last few years sowing the seeds of progress: from an entirely recycled denim line (made with Amsterdam’s PVH Denim Center) to ongoing research into circular, zero-waste design and production, the brand has stepped up its efforts to tackle fashion’s carbon footprint.

Tommy Hilfiger’s main collections have also been streamlined. AW20 was a concise celebration of all things chic and cosy, pairing '70s-inspired paisley prints with blanket scarves and patchwork puffer coats. Flashes of black leather and gold lamé rounded off the glamorous yet versatile collection, which felt custom-built to be worn endlessly. After all, the key to true sustainability is to buy only clothes you truly love and know you won’t waste – and Hilfiger makes it easy to do it with a clean conscience.