It’s 2018, and we have lost sight of the definition of “smart.” Or at least, Tommy Hilfiger has. The fashion brand is the latest to offer so-called smart connected clothing, but rather than designing apparel that will track your heart rate, control your music, or offer navigational assistance like say, Levi’s smart jacket, Tommy Hilfiger’s clothes will reward you for … buying Tommy Hilfiger clothes. Someone send help.
The new Tommy Jeans Xplore garment line leverages embedded Bluetooth smart tags (which really could be used for cool, useful things!) to provide “one-of-a-kind rewards and experiences” to customers. The idea is that the more often you wear the clothes, the more points you’ll be able to earn. Think of it as Tommy’s thank you for being a brand ambassador — or rather, Tommy’s bribe to get you to exclusively wear their clothing.
Tommy’s new Xplore line spans both women’s and men’s collections, and also boasts a few unisex offerings. Currently, it’s available only in the United States both via Tommy Hilfiger’s website and the company’s flagship store located on 5th Avenue in New York City.
If you’re curious about just what Tommy wants to pay you to wear, the clothing options do seem pretty extensive, so at least you won’t be recycling the same outfits over and over again in hopes of earning those points. The line includes T-shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies, jeans, jackets, caps, and bags, all of which pair with the Tommy Jeans Xplore iOS app via Bluetooth. Once you’ve paired these clothes, you’ll be prompted to take part in challenges in order to garner points. Well, “challenges” is a strong word. You’ll be rewarded for wearing the clothes as often as possible, or for finding heart-shaped Tommy icons within the app’s map. I guess that’s fitness oriented?
Points you earn can then be turned into rewards like gift cards, signed merchandise, and items from the Tommy Hilfiger archives, to name a few, the company notes.
It’s unclear exactly how successful this program will be, especially since it seems to cater almost exclusively to Tommy super fans who really want to wear a lot of the brand’s clothes all the time. But hey, if it works, it could open up a whole new world for brands looking to add the word “smart” into their marketing materials.
