Tommy Hilfiger SS25 Rocked the Old Staten Island Ferry
The American prep designer took over the decommissioned MV John F. Kennedy for a nautical Spring 2025 show, capped off by a performance from Wu-Tang Clan’s Ghostface Killah, Method Man and Raekwon.
At sunset on Sunday, New York’s fashion crowd piled single file onto the decommissioned MV John F. Kennedy (the former Staten Island Ferry that will soon operate as a comedy and music venue under the ownership of Pete Davidson and Colin Jost) for Tommy Hilfiger’s Spring 2025 show.
Upon entrance, the likes of Stray Kids’ Felix and Lee Know, Blackpink’s Jisoo and actors Damson Idris, Shay Mitchell and Madelyn Cline were mobbed by industry fans and photographers in the boat’s thin corridors; editors hunted for their seats on the ferry’s vintage benches and snacked on old-school boxes of popcorn, courtesy of Tommy’s modelesque staff, while the echoes of conversations only grew louder over clinking champagne flutes and the vessel’s soft sways. Calculated chaos, only the usual at a Tommy show. (Remember the Factory show’s roaring downpour?)
A heavy hip-hop beat put a halt to the madness, before models imminently began weaving through the ship’s slim walkways in Hilfiger’s latest. “We’re revisiting the nautical and maritime inspirations that have defined our signature look since 1985,” the designer said. “Today, it’s updated and remixed for 2025: the look has the ease of effortless summer style, but with a confidence that feels ready to step off the ferry and back into the city.”
Breton and Ithaca shirting stripes, galvanized by sailing heritage, were collection mainstays, while archival regatta jackets and utilitarian trousers employed sail-cloth nylons and crinkled cottons for waterborne escapades. Hilfiger replenished his signature preppy wardrobe with leather varsity jackets, deck-inspired chinos and double-pleated yacht shorts. For the captain’s quarters, club blazers with TH iconography, monogram robes and hand-woven slippers appeared ultra-comfy. “New American Prep,” Hilfiger called it.
The designer rounded the makeshift runway after his models, before Wu-Tang Clan members Ghostface Killah, Method Man, and Raekwon abruptly attracted a sea of iPhones with a high-octane performance curated by Questlove. It’s safe to say Hilfiger’s “showtainment” rocked the boat.
See Tommy Hilfiger’s Spring/Summer 2025 collection in the gallery above.
