In October, PVH Corp—the parent company to Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, Van Heusen, Speedo and Izod—announced $1 million in savings by switching to a more sustainable, digital design process. And now it’s using that savings for good.
The company recently announced a partnership with the Gabelli School of Business at Fordham University in New York City, which includes a $1 million contribution to establish a leading academic hub for the study of Corporate Responsibility (CR) and Sustainability. The partnership intends to connect industry leaders with students and advance the conversation around sustainability. It will feature a quarterly lecture series, a number of research programs for both faculty and students, and new academic offerings for undergraduate and graduate students.
“This partnership demonstrates PVH and Fordham’s shared commitment to educate the future by harnessing the power of corporate responsibility for both financial successes and societal impact,” said PVH chairman and CEO Manny Chirico, who graduated from The Gabelli School of Business and currently sits on the Board of Trustees of the University. He also received an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from the university in 2018.
Recently, PVH has doubled down on its sustainability efforts, including Tommy Hilfiger’s most recent announcement that sustainability will be the main feature in its Spring 2020 fashion show in London. There, it will show its fourth Tommy x Lewis collaboration with Formula One World Champion Lewis Hamilton, which uses sustainable materials and sourcing practices including the use of organic cotton and recycled materials, low-impact denim washes and more.
These sustainability practices are part of PVH’s Forward Fashion Initiative, which aims to change the way clothes are created and reused. Its goals include reaching zero negative impacts, increasing positive impacts and improving more than one million lives across its value chain.
