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Tommy Hilfiger names Chris Cortez as 'The Next Great American Designer'

09 Sep '05
4 min read

Chris's initial study on people's various response to hats "generated ideas about the role of hats, and fashion in general, in creating and defining identity," says Cortez. "Hats are icons of identity." With that in mind, Cortez joined forces with his best friend, Thomas Bepko, and founded Christopher Thomas with the intention of creating and selling hats that would "speak to a humongous variety of people in all walks of life."

"I want 17-year-old Asians to wear these hats. I want 50-year old women pulling weeds in their backyards to wear these hats," Cortez explains.

Asked to describe his hats, Cortez offers, "They are nostalgic, classic patterns with a contemporary edge, driven by quality but aesthetically pleasing."

"This couldn't have happened without my MFA training," Chris says. "My training in Graphic Design gives us a huge advantage over other businesses. With what I've learned at school, I am able to create our design identity -- everything from brochures, the website, the logo, to business cards. It makes us more flexible, quicker, and saves money, because I can do it all in-house."

Cortez wants other MFA students to know that their final thesis projects should be something they truly care about. "The MFA should intertwine with your life. It should be a marriage of your passions, not a separation. It should be something that allows you to express what you want to say in life."

Christopher Thomas hats can be found at retail locations in the United States and Japan.

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