In an interview
for Times Magazine, “fashion-industry
titan Tommy Hilfiger talks about acceptance, autism and why nobody should wear
florals.” The “acceptance” part is related to the unwillingness of other
fashion law-givers to accept him as a fellow designer after he had started out
as a retailer. Autism is relevant to him as two of his five kids have been diagnosed
with the disorder. And the florals? Mr. Hilfiger is asked if after five decades
in fashion he thinks there is “any trend that should never be revived.” His
response is that people wearing floral prints “really don’t have great taste.”
So he asks a rhetorical question: “Why would you want to wear a print you see
on a bedspread or wall paper in an older person’s home.”
I am not a floral
chauvinist, but this still struck me as somewhat insensitive – particularly coming
from someone who once had issues with acceptance. If I wanted to be similarly tactless,
I would remind the fashion-industry great that autism is a highly heritable
condition.
