Tommy Hilfiger was one of nine children born to an family from Elmira, NY in 1951. His career in retail began early, when he began customizing jeans from New York City and reselling them in his hometown. His success led to the opening of The People’s Place, which went bankrupt after seven years in business amid a collection of store closings in Elmira. Hilfiger moved to New York City, where he turned down design jobs with Calvin Klein and Perry Ellis, even though he had little money. Instead, he concentrated on the introduction of a signature line that launched in 1985—and his brand expanded to offer men’s, women’s and children’s clothing, as well as an array of fragrance, home products, and more. Tommy offers an extensive line of fragrances. The popular Tommy Girl perfume, with floral notes, sandalwood, and heather, was released in 1996 and comes in the trademark red, white, and blue box. The signature Tommy Hilfiger cologne was launched in 1995 and has warm scents of cinnamon and cranberry. Other colognes include Athletics, Freedom, T by Tommy, Tommy 10, Tommy Jeans, Tommy Summer, and True Star. More scents for women are Freedom, T Girl, Tommy 10, Tommy Girl Jeans, Tommy Girl Summer, True Star, and True Star Gold, for which Beyonce Knowles is spokesperson.