"We are going back to our roots by cultivating new unsigned talent who otherwise might go unnoticed"
About this Quote
Hilfiger’s line is a neat piece of brand jujitsu: it frames a forward-looking talent hunt as a return to origins, as if scouting “new unsigned talent” isn’t a business strategy but a homecoming. “Roots” does heavy lifting here. It’s nostalgia-coded language that reassures longtime customers that growth won’t dilute the label’s identity, even as the fashion economy demands constant novelty. The move is both cultural and commercial: freshness sells, but heritage protects.
The phrase “cultivating” is telling. It casts the designer as gardener-patron, not gatekeeper, suggesting care and mentorship while quietly reinforcing who holds power. “Unsigned” borrows the music industry’s mythology of discovery - the diamond in the rough, the kid from nowhere - which flatters the audience with the sense they’re witnessing something authentic before it gets commodified. Yet the subtext is that authenticity still needs a megaphone, and Hilfiger owns one.
Context matters: legacy American brands have spent the last decade battling streetwear’s dominance, social media’s faster trend cycles, and consumers who want values as much as vibes. Championing overlooked talent reads as a corrective to fashion’s sameness and nepotism, but it’s also a pipeline-building exercise: sourcing new voices, new audiences, new cultural heat. The intent isn’t just to find designers; it’s to borrow their credibility, then fold it into the Hilfiger narrative - proof the brand can be both established and “next.”
The phrase “cultivating” is telling. It casts the designer as gardener-patron, not gatekeeper, suggesting care and mentorship while quietly reinforcing who holds power. “Unsigned” borrows the music industry’s mythology of discovery - the diamond in the rough, the kid from nowhere - which flatters the audience with the sense they’re witnessing something authentic before it gets commodified. Yet the subtext is that authenticity still needs a megaphone, and Hilfiger owns one.
Context matters: legacy American brands have spent the last decade battling streetwear’s dominance, social media’s faster trend cycles, and consumers who want values as much as vibes. Championing overlooked talent reads as a corrective to fashion’s sameness and nepotism, but it’s also a pipeline-building exercise: sourcing new voices, new audiences, new cultural heat. The intent isn’t just to find designers; it’s to borrow their credibility, then fold it into the Hilfiger narrative - proof the brand can be both established and “next.”
Quote Details
| Topic | Vision & Strategy |
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