Romeo Hunte to Incorporate Vintage Hilfiger Into Fall Line

Romeo Hunte has always considered Tommy Hilfiger a mentor, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the Brooklyn, N.Y.-born designer turned to his idol as inspiration for his fall collection. The graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology launched his women’s line in 2014 and expanded into a full men’s ready-to-wear collection in 2018. His street chic collection has been embraced by celebrities including Beyoncé and Victor Cruz.

At his show this weekend, Hunte will be channeling Hilfiger by integrating archival looks and fabrics used by the designer over the years into his own brand. As Hunte described it: “Tommy Hilfiger has produced some of the world’s most timeless pieces that are still relevant [today]. For me, being able to integrate some of those capsule looks with my cut-and-sew methods, merging the narratives of both brands, means everything. Reconstructing pieces that are already assembled was [also] a contribution to support sustainable fashion.”

Hilfiger weighed in with his thoughts as well. “The next generation of American designers are looking at the fashion industry and building their collections in a whole new way. It’s been a pleasure to mentor Romeo as he’s evolved his approach and point of view — he reminds me of myself when I first got into fashion, relentlessly working towards achieving his dream. Romeo’s design philosophy is founded on an incredibly inspiring commitment to sustainable fashion. I’m excited to see how he has given a new life to the 12 vintage pieces that I donated from my personal archive, upcycling them into entirely new and fresh pieces.” Hunte will show his collection at 4 p.m. Sunday at the FIT Theater.