Tommy Hilfiger launches podcast series highlighting Black culture and fashion

By

Jennifer Braun

Published
Apr 14, 2022

Tommy Hilfiger will launch a new five-part podcast series on April 20, which aims to highlight the overlooked contributions of Black culture and communities, and expand the narrative around the history of American fashion.

Titled 'The Invisible Seam: Unsung Stories of Black Culture and Fashion', the podcast will feature interviews with expert guests, including designers, academics, fashion historians, museum curators, stylists and artists. 

Guests include designers Jeffrey Banks and Romeo Hunte, fashion historian and curator Darnell-Jamal Lisby, image architect Law Roach, celebrity stylist Ade Samuel and more, while the series is expected to be closed out by Zairion Lester, a fashion student and emerging designer who shares a forward-looking perspective.

“We are all responsible in shaping a future that is truly equitable for BIPOC creatives,” said Tommy Hilfiger. “It’s incredibly meaningful that some of the most notable voices in fashion have come together to bring this podcast to life. It’s a necessary step to acknowledge, recognize, share and celebrate Black contributions in defining modern fashion and culture.”

The podcast is hosted by Kimberly Jenkins, a consultant, Assistant Professor of Fashion Studies at Ryerson University in Toronto, Canada, and Founder and Lead Researcher of The Fashion and Race Database, and will be released weekly on Wednesdays, through May 18.

“Tommy Hilfiger’s partnership with The Fashion and Race Database is a gamechanger, because it shows what’s possible when industry leaders listen and collaborate with those of us doing the work to educate and advocate for a more diverse and socially responsible fashion system,” added Jenkins. 

“Fashion education and research is often isolated in the fashion system, so I hope that other fashion brands will take notes from what Randy Cousin and the Tommy Hilfiger People’s Place Program are producing with us.”

The series was developed through Tommy Hilfiger’s People’s Place Program in partnership with The Fashion and Race Database, first launched in July 2020, and Audacy’s Pineapple Street Studios.

The People’s Place Program amplifies the company’s efforts and dedication of resources to increasing opportunities and visibility for underrepresented communities within the global fashion and apparel industries.