Why
I'm not a Tommy-knockerZelda's fashionpatrol of a case of internet fashion fraud
Why
I'm not a Tommy-knocker
Zelda's fashionpatrol
of a case of internet fashion
fraud
Much
can be said
about the phenomenon that is Tommy
Hilfiger...
It's clearly proven to have real staying power in the marketplace.
Most department stores now have a Tommy Boutique and the young men's sportswear line has expanded into women's, kid's-- even eyewear, make-up and fragrances.Critics abound and some of what they say is:
it's boring,
it's simplistically Americana,
it's over-priced,
it appeals to and is designed just for WASP preppies.These are all subjective opinions, some of which I share, but it's important to point out that these swipes are all arguable. I think the line is way over-branded and running around in a dull-witted (or as the propagandists would say: "classic") sportswear wrag with a oversized logo makes me gag.
But... what's NOT arguable:
is a cruel case of eMail fraud that has been committed against Mr. Hilfiger and his Tommy Empire. And, cruelest of all, is that the fraudulent eMail campaign has taken on a life of its own and now even two years after the hoax has been refuted, outbreaks of this cyber crime continue to erupt as unsuspecting, socially conscious folks get all upset about what Tommy Hilfiger is alleged to have said on a videotaping on the Oprah Winfrey Show back in 1998... a taping that NEVER HAPPENED!I'll get to that malicious text in a bit, but first it must be emphasized that the hateful words are lies, they have been refuted by Oprah Winfrey and debunked on her own website. Indeed, this incident is now documented as a classic case of cyber fraud, and joins the list of many others posted on the popular Urban Myths website which documents such things.
It was only a month ago that one of my colleagues— a close friend and an art and fashion critic in her own right, forwarded me False Words— having believed them and thinking I might join in a righteous cause to help boycott Tommy Hilfiger. I immediately began to sharpen my knives as I was drawn into what seemed to be a plausible Call To Action (and, ultimately, a ficticious plot). But I counted to 10 and thought it was just too ugly to consider without first verifying it from a secondary source... an old journalism school tenet, which even demands a third source when the subject is controversial.
Well, without further ado, here's the insideous Big Lie
(as it's been passed on by eMail, who knows how many times):Dear "Zelda":
I'm sure many of you watched the recent taping of the Oprah Winfrey show where her guest was Tommy Hilfiger. On the show, she asked him if the statements about race he was accused of saying were true. Statements like: "If I'd known African-Americans, Hispanics, Jewish and Asians would buy my clothes, I would not have made them so nice. I wish these people would NOT buy my clothes, as they are made for upper class white people." His answer to Oprah was a simple "YES". Where after she immediately asked him to leave her show.
My suggestion?
Let's give him what he asked for. Let's not buy his clothes! Let's put him in a financial state where he himself will not be able to afford the ridiculous prices he puts on his clothes.BOYCOTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
PLEASE SEND THIS MESSAGE TO ANYONE YOU KNOW WHO SPENDS THEIR HARD EARNED MONEY ON CLOTHES MADE BY SOMEONE WHO DOES NOT RESPECT THEM AS A PERSON OR A PEOPLEAgain: this is completely untrue.
The events described never happened.
Oprah' s website (part of the Oxygen women's portal website) says:The Truth...
During the holidays a lot of you celebrated, shopped and spent. But before addressing that subject...Oprah put to rest a rumor about designer Tommy Hilfiger. For the record, the rumored event that has circulated on the Internet and by word-of-mouth never happened. Mr. Hilfiger has never appeared on the show. In fact, Oprah has never even met him.And to go a step further, this case is also documented on a growing list of Urban Myths and "scaremail" at: http://www.urbanmyths.com/email_hilfiger.html. With the following comment:
"This one circulates about twice a year-and poor Tommy Hilfiger has to refute the same thing each time. It is no doubt perpetrated by competing fashion designers who can't keep up with Hilfiger's popularity in the urban market, and this editor wishes it would stop. If you see this in your e-mail, reply to all and tell them to hit DELETE."
A Lesson Learned
There's a fashionably simple point here:
Don't pass along messages that you cannot personally vouch for. My dear friend, when confronted with the facts, had to go back and eMail everyone (and that was dozens) with an apology and admit she did not check her sources. One looses personal credibility and unfairly punishes an unworthy victim when the hastiness to be politically correct overtakes the less dramatic chore of being factually correct.Who can estimate how much Tommy Hilfiger has been wronged by this wicked plot? Lost revenue, bad public relations and so much unnecessary ill will.
Well, I took a closer look at Tommy's site and his lines. It looks like contemporary multi-cultured America to me! The lines are heavily promoted with multi-ethnic themes and models, which may or may not be in response to the nasty eMail program. Who knows?
But add to that the fact that the label is increasingly accessible through a widening range of moderate retailers and you have strong testimony to support the view that Hilfiger is really a multi-cultural activist, updating and redefining a new style of Americana that's not limited to the country club set and invites everyone to climb on board.
I don't know about you, but I'm ready to go back there right now...
His website is previewing new designs (coming to stores soon, his site does not sell online) at: http://www.tommy.com
Until my next patrol,
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