Excuse me, but are those Tommy jeans? Looking good from hips to knees. Boot cut, skin tight. Bringing sexy back, right? Wasn’t my idea. It’s Tommy Hilfiger’s work and play. Building a clothing empire. Showing curves not fit for the choir. Still busting out. With more cash and clout.

The breakthrough that made him famous. Like Andy and buddy Amos. As an experiment, bought 150 pairs of jeans. Redesigned them for the party scenes. Ran a one-page ad. Positioning his brand as more than a fad. Listing himself among the finest. With Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren and Perry Ellis.  

Hilfiger didn’t want to go to college. So bankruptcy earned him some painful knowledge. The school of hard knocks. Success came after the shocks. Worked his way back. With a strategic plan of attack. Developing his fashion eye. Creating a following on the fly. Bringing fresh style that doesn’t die. 

He’s had a love-hate relationship. With some in industry leadership. Accused of outsourcing to sweat shops.  People making his clothes at a cheap pop. He’s been able to weather the storm. Expanding with excellence like a farm. Selling the stable for millions. Before raising the company’s value to billions.

A pretty simple upbringing. In NY with opportunity for the taking. Career, business and living his dreams. Doing whatever it took to boost his esteem. From the frying pan into the heat. #1 not an impossible feat. Take it from me and the maven Tommy. Get past the stigma of fat, dumb or unhappy.

Tip: The school of hard knocks is where you learn in a real way how to live another day.

Talkback: Does advertising work as advertised or is marketing a more reliable form of exposure for the average enterprise?