Tommy Hilfiger Goes Hard With Richard Quinn

The devilish South London designer Richard Quinn has been causing trouble since he first graduated from Central Saint Martins. His inaugural collection of extravagant floral dresses mixed and matched with latex and spikes even caught the attention of  Queen Elizabeth II, who sat front row at the show. Now, Quinn is remixing his BDSM-inspired designs with Tommy Hilfiger—a brand known for their preppy, Americana aesthetic. The new 40-piece collaboration, aptly titled Tommy Hilfiger X Richard Quinn, takes the Hilfiger’s staples—denim, button-down shirts, loafers, chinos, and blazers—to new heights thanks to Quinn’s genderfluid approach and punk roots. Below, we ask the designer a few questions about his design process and inspiration behind the collaboration. 

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INTERVIEW: Where in the world are you?

RICHARD QUINN: London (my favorite place).

INTERVIEW: What did you have for breakfast? 

 QUINN: Coffee and a bagel on the go—we are in the run-up to fashion week, after all!

INTERVIEW: What does a regular day look like for Richard Quinn?

 QUINN: Every day is different. At the moment we are focused on our SS23 show, but we often have different projects going on so it varies.

INTERVIEW: How did the collaboration come about? 

 QUINN: When we were asked to collaborate with Tommy, we were so excited to take part. We are always interested to see what happens when two very different brands are combined together.

INTERVIEW: What were you inspired by when designing the collaboration? 

QUINN: Both Tommy and Richard Quinn have really strong brand identities, so it was really interesting to see what could come from the collaboration. We delved deep into the rich American heritage of the Tommy Hilfiger brand for initial inspiration, then added our own twist.

INTERVIEW: You created a signature print for the collaboration—can you tell us about the design process? 

QUINN: The print design process always starts with a myriad of options, which are gradually narrowed down. We began by isolating the Tommy monogram and our own key brand visuals, then worked these into a range of repeat patterns. We tested out lots of color ways before choosing the ones that were the most striking in the end.

INTERVIEW: What is your favorite piece from the collection? 

 QUINN: I love the punk styles.

INTERVIEW: You created a few archetypes for the collection—the cowboy, the cheerleader, the jock, the punk, etc—which one do you identify with the most?

QUINN: It’s not so much a question of personally identifying with the characters, as each is quite extreme in their own way. I would say a part of me relates to each of them.

INTERVIEW: Why did you approach the look book with these archetypes?

QUINN: I have always found it to be helpful to imagine the character who will be wearing the clothes—this gives a really clear and defined vision for each look.

INTERVIEW: Her majesty, the queen, sat front row at your show, what was the significance of her attendance for you? For your brand? 

QUINN: It was a really key moment for the brand when the Queen attended our show, as she is such a key figure in British culture. I was really honored to meet her and she was very warm and friendly, with a great sense of humor.