11.05.2007

American pop culture By Tommy Hilfiger with George Lois

Inspired by Tommy Hilfiger's passion for Americana and George Lois' provocative visual power, Iconic America presents a mosaic of over 400 iconic and iconoclastic images from the melting pot of the American experience.

The influence that these iconic images have had on the world is immeasurable; however, it is the way in which they are uniquely juxtaposed on the pages of Iconic America that compels Americans to question who we are, what we stand for, and perhaps, where we should be heading.

Not only does Iconic America celebrate the snap, crackle, and pop of American popular culture, it offers a poignant and compelling commentary on America, dramatizing the national ethos in a startlingly and refreshing new way.

As Tommy Hilfiger writes in the preface, "In a sad time of self-inflicted anti-Americanism, George Lois and I have endeavored to craft an enlightening book that reminds the world, as well as our fellow citizens, of the variety and magnificence of American pop culture."

To coincide with the launch of the book Iconic America, Tommy Hilfiger has designed a unique capsule collection of T-shirts and sweatshirts, which feature striking and unexpected overlays of pop culture and Americana images, similar to the juxtapositions made in the book. The collection will launch in select Tommy Hilfiger stores worldwide.

In addition to a grant from The Tommy Hilfiger Corporate Foundation, Tommy Hilfiger will donate $5 to the U.S. Fund for UNICEF for every copy of the book Iconic America and each item of the capsule collection sold at Tommy Hilfiger stores. Fifty percent of that will go towards helping the children of the world and fifty percent towards educating American children about the world.

"UNICEF is delighted to partner with Tommy Hilfiger and this unique publication, Iconic America - a book that vividly captures the colorful mosaic that is the American spirit," said Caryl M. Stern, president and CEO, U.S. Fund for UNICEF. "Saving children's lives is what we do and I have seen the American spirit rally to intervene in humanitarian crises around the world - whether through volunteerism or charitable giving, its strength cannot be denied."

In addition to the edition that will be available wherever books are sold, a special exclusive cover of the book can be found at select Tommy Hilfiger stores worldwide.

GEORGE LOIS: After returning as a Korean War veteran, a brash young son of Greek immigrants burst upon the scene in the late 1950s and became a pioneer of the Creative Revolution in advertising and design in the late 1960s. George Lois is the most creative, prolific design communicator of our time, renowned for dozens of marketing miracles that triggered innovative and populist changes in American culture.

New York magazine famously named Lois "Superman of Madison Avenue, America's master communicator,"

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