It's been quite a celebratory year for all-American designer Tommy Hilfiger, who recently commemorated his 25 years in the business with a star-studded gala during September's Fashion Week. Esquire's latest issue features a profile on the designer, who had some sharp words to say about fellow menswear designers Michael Bastian and Thom Browne. While the profile isn't available online yet, Shophound posted the insulting fodder:
ESQUIRE: What do you think of the new generation of American designers?
TOMMY HILFIGER: I look at Michael Bastian and I say, That's Tommy, 1985. I look at Thom Browne and his red white and blue trims—that's taken right out of a page in our book.
Ouch. Though it seems to be coming more from his unchecked ego than an actual legal perspective, accusing—nay, even suggesting—designers of ripping off one's work is a pretty serious claim. Them's fightin' words.
Furthermore, there seems to be a clear contradiction in Hilfiger's posturing himself as an utterly original designer. Just last week, he hired designer Simon Spurr—a contemporary, and arguably, a competitor—to act as a consultant to his men's collection, and several months before that, Peter Som to consult on womenswear.
