Indya Harvey takes a look at Tommy Hilfiger’s creative progression since replacing Gigi Hadid as brand ambassador.

Following the announcement in October 2018 that Zendaya would be Tommy Hilfiger’s newest brand ambassador, after a four-year collaboration with Gigi Hadid, a truly inspiring capsule collection made its debut for Paris Fashion Week SS19. The show concluded a week of progressive, liberal artistic pursuits, illustrated in Hedi Slimane’s debut collection for Celine, and celebrations of female empowerment exhibited by Louis Vuitton’s Joan of Arc feature silhouette. Zendaya took the same approach, but using her own heritage as an influence, selecting all black female cat-walkers to model her pieces, with no limits to size or age. Pate Cleveland, the first model to walk, was joined by Beverly Peele, Veronica Webb, Winnie Harlow and Jourdan Dunn, with the legendary Grace Jones closing the show, proving at 70 that age does not impose limits. The show perfectly represented Zendaya’s personal optimism and enthusiasm for fashion and culture. Always being one to impress in her expression of style, I wasn’t surprised at all upon finding out that she was given full reign over the collection’s creative direction. Against the backdrop of a 70s roller disco and exhibiting upmost diversity, Tommy Hilfiger achieved a progressive transition from previous brand ambassador, Hadid. The rejuvenated image triumphed by Hadid has grown through Zendaya, expanding the audience of the brand in line with the progressive moves we are witnessing in society, complemented in line with other SS19 collections. Fashion is slowly acknowledging the importance of diversity and Zendaya’s focus on the celebration of race and women of all ages and sizes is a seamless example.

By Indya Harvey.