Tommy Hilfiger teams with Universal Music Group for rock apparel

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Tommy Hilfiger -- the man not the brand -- has struck a deal with Universal Music Group to develop rock ‘n’ roll-inspired apparel, according to an article by Alex Pham in the business section of Thursday’s Los Angeles Times.

Since the dawn of the concert T-shirt, apparel has been part of the revenue stream for music labels, and the relationship between music and merchandise has only become more intertwined -- and important -- in the last decade. In 2006, concert and event promoter Live Nation bought a majority stake in Trunk Ltd. -- a maker of high-end reissued concert T-shirts -- and, as Pham pointed out in his article, Universal Music Group itself has snapped up a couple of companies (Britain-based Atmosphere Apparel and Bravado) in the music apparel and merchandise business.

You can read the entire article here (which I highly recommend; there’s no need for me to rehash it in its entirety) but it got me thinking about what kind of clothes we might see given that the label’s acts include the Black Eyed Peas, Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga.

But don’t expect a Lady Gaga ham halter top with the Hilfiger logo on it anytime soon. That’s because although the fashion designer himself may be working with Universal, the Tommy Hilfiger brand is not. That label is owned, as Pham noted, by Phillips-Van Heusen Corp.

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-- Adam Tschorn

Left photo: Tommy Hilfiger. Credit: Christian Charisius / EPA

Right photo: Lady Gaga. Credit: Charles Sykes / Associated Press