The Canadian music star Shawn Mendes and the US fashion brand Tommy Hilfiger want to promote awareness of sustainability with a broad-based cooperation, become more sustainable themselves and, of course, continue to grow.
The collaboration between a fashion brand and the music industry is nothing new in itself. The new collaboration between the US brand Tommy Hilfiger and the Canadian singer-songwriter Shawn Mendes shows that this can be about more than just dressing up a hip testimonial.
Working together to reduce environmental impact
The eclectic collaboration begins with Shawn Mendes as the face of the global Summer 2022 campaign, titled Classics Reborn, which showcases a collection made entirely from more sustainable materials. At the same time, Shawn Mendes will be wearing sustainable, custom-made Tommy Hilfiger styles during his upcoming Wonder: The World Tour. To mitigate and offset the impact of the tour on the environment, Tommy Hilfiger also wants to make one million euros available. Shawn Mendes has committed to making the tour climate-friendly by reducing carbon emissions per show by half compared to his last world tour in 2019 and mitigating any remaining emissions through a combination of carbon reduction and carbon avoidance projects. In addition, according to a press release, “a significant portion of this investment will go towards regenerative cotton farming to further expand the impact of Tommy Hilfiger’s broader sustainability initiatives.
Collaborations are also planned for the coming year: The partnership should culminate in a jointly designed capsule collection, which will be launched in spring 2023 and will reinterpret timeless style with recycled and new material innovations as well as circular design practices in a new and more sustainable way.
Creating awareness for sustainability together
“Shawn is not only a versatile musician – he also represents a new generation of future makers who understand the need for action,” says brand founder Tommy Hilfiger. “By partnering with Shawn to learn, share and innovate, we can build on what we’ve already achieved and take our sustainability journey to the next level. We recognize we still have a long way to go, but together we can create even more awareness to make a positive, lasting impact.”
Shawn Mendes will be seen in his role as early as next week, on May 16th, with the start of the summer campaign. Photographed by Craig McDean, Shawn Mendes showcases styles from the 1985 Program collection, including the iconic 1985 polo, which is made from organic cotton. The use of organic cotton alone in the collections of the 1985 program for 2022 is said to have reduced CO2 emissions by around 48 percent and saved 692 tons of emissions. This corresponds to 641 one-way flights from London to New York for one passenger, Tommy Hilfiger calculates.
Further elements of the cooperation will be announced in the coming weeks.
achieve growth goals
However, it is not just about sustainability and raising awareness. Ultimately, the aim is to achieve the growth plans for the coming years. The US brand, which like Calvin Klein belongs to the New York-based PVH group, was able to reach the level before the pandemic again in the 2021/22 financial year with sales of 4.7 billion US dollars. By 2025, sales are expected to increase to 6.4 billion US dollars. To achieve this, the company also wants to rely on personalities like Mendes, who stand for social and ecological commitment and open up new target groups.