Tommy Hilfiger
Overview
Following the success of the Calvin Klein design system, the next step was to extend the same scalability and consistency principles to Tommy Hilfiger. The goal was to create a unified foundation that allowed shared components, tokens, and workflows to evolve seamlessly across both brands while maintaining individuality.
Design Systems Lead at Publicis.Sapient
Design System Integration
Component Audit & Governance
Cross-Brand Token Automation
Scalable UI Framework
The project focused on scaling design operations across PVH brands. The Calvin Klein system became the backbone for Tommy Hilfiger, integrating automation, governance, and design tokens into a cross-brand framework that improved collaboration, speed, and alignment between design and development.
Context
Tommy Hilfiger needed to scale fast without reinventing the wheel. With Calvin Klein’s new design system in place, the challenge was to extend that foundation into a flexible, multi-brand setup. Tommy had different business needs, but the core architecture had to remain consistent.
While Calvin focused on minimalism, Tommy had a bolder, more vibrant identity. We needed to respect the brand voice while using the same tokens, logic, and components across both ecosystems. That meant creating brand layers that sat on top of shared foundations.
Challenges
We began by identifying which parts of the Calvin system could be reused and which needed to be adapted. Tokens like spacing, typography, and breakpoints stayed consistent, while colors, imagery, and some component variants were modified to reflect Tommy’s style. Each adaptation was done through Figma Variables and token overrides, avoiding duplication. Components were built once, then skinned based on brand context. For instance, the same card component could display Tommy’s bold red and blue, or Calvin’s black and white, just by toggling the variable set. To support the team, I created a set of documentation and guidelines focused on brand adaptability. These included usage rules, token mapping, and override logic to ensure that future brands under PVH could plug into the same system with minimal friction. We also set up new QA processes to validate that every brand experience remained visually consistent and technically sound. Tokens and components were synced with GitHub, just like Calvin, to maintain alignment with dev.
Solution
Tommy Hilfiger’s design team now operates on a system that feels native to their brand, but under the hood shares DNA with Calvin Klein. Updates made at the base level can propagate across brands, saving time and reducing errors. The system now supports multiple brands, multiple teams, and a unified way of building digital retail experiences across PVH. What started as a single-system cleanup evolved into a scalable design framework used across the company.
