In psychology, a connector is someone who is relationship-focused and has a natural ability to bring people together. They’re often described as social butterflies who are confident, persuasive and always remain optimistic. They’re known for their ability to make instant connections with others and for helping others make connections.
This is exactly how the iconic Peter Paul works.
From being a dancer and choreographer to a model and business marketer for Tommy Hilfiger, his ability to see what’s next makes him an unstoppable force.
Denver Roots
His passion for marketing and branding started in 1992. Chris Christmas, a friend of Peter Paul’s, launched his street sportswear brand, Two Hype “2HYPE,” out of Denver and soon expanded into New York where Peter Paul grew up.
“That’s how my understanding of marketing and branding began. From being a dancer, and socialite model kid, I learned how to integrate the pop-cultural side with the brand,” Peter Paul said. “All that came from working with a guy from Denver.”
Christmas or “that guy in Denver,” became Peter Paul’s mentor and opened his mind to countless opportunities when working with brands.
“I didn’t really think past that, opportunity wise, or entrepreneurial side of being able to go up to these brands and say, “Hey, I could do something you’re not doing right now,” which is to integrate pop culture in a way that they didn’t have the connectivity,” he said.
At the time, Peter Paul not only modeled but was a choreographer and a dancer. He not only toured with Crystal Waters but also performed in music videos with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame group, A Tribe Called Quest, Salt-N-Pepa, De La Soul and he choreographed with Queen Latifah, Mariah Carey and many more.
Needless to say, Peter Paul was everywhere.
Tommy Hilfiger X Peter Paul Redefine Hip Hop Wear
Between his background and mentorship with Christmas, he felt this spark to collaborate brands with celebrities. This also helped drive his passion when working with the legendary designer, Tommy Hilfiger. As mentioned in the newest Vogue Documentary, “In Vogue: The 90’s,” luxury designers at the time never thought about collaborating with the hip-hop community in mind.
Peter Paul changed that trajectory.
He first met Hilfiger’s brother, Andy, who immersed himself in the hip-hop and rap scene where Peter Peter Paul was at the forefront — he then introduced Peter Paul to his brother. After years of opening and working with some of hip-hop’s biggest names, Peter Paul established and built a trusted relationship with everyone. And as someone who always repped Tommy, the collaboration was a no-brainer.
“Outside of legendary urban brands like Cross Colours and Karl Kani, nobody else really had their finger on the pulse with hip-hop,” Peter Paul said. “So I was kind of the guy. They called me the Jackie Robinson of this hip-hop movement. Being able to transition corporate America with hip-hop and going it in a way that I did — Tommy was like the one guy who was open to it.”
From then on the Peter Paul, Tommy Hilfiger collaboration began shifting the course of hip-hop and designer partnerships forever.
In the 90s’ there was a progressive evolution not just among Hilfiger but also Alexander McQueen, Tom Ford and Ralph Lauren who helped establish a whole new era of fashion. To date, one of the most legendary and well-known fashion shows was spearheaded by Peter Paul and Hilfiger— London, March 1996.
“That was the blastoff, I would call it, in the Tommy world,” Peter Paul said in the Vogue documentary.
It was a celebration of streetwear, upscale fashion and hip-hop — something unheard of at the time. Treach from Naughty By Nature performed while supermodels like Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss strutted down the runway. Peter Paul said that in hip-hop there are no boundaries, no ceiling — anything is possible, and that truly showed in London.
“To this day, I asked, Tommy, after the Apollo show, which one was your favorite, man?” Peter Paul said. “He goes, London. He says it to this day. He was looked at as somebody who should have been in London a long time before because all the other brands had already crossed the pond, you know, Calvin [Klein], Donna [Karan], and he was the last to come over.”
For 15 years, Peter Paul worked with Tommy Hilfiger helping to mold and develop into one of the most respected brands to date. Together they developed Tommy Jeans and Peter Paul was the head marketer for that campaign.
Working together for such a long time creates this sort of camaraderie, or in Peter Pauls’s case, a family. Andy Hilfiger was a groomsman at his wedding, Tommy paid for his honeymoon as a wedding gift, Peter Paul’s daughter modeled in a Tommy campaign, and Tommy’s kids grew up with Peter Paul’s — it all comes down to being more than a duo.
“I think I was fortunate enough to be in the right place, right time with Tommy — that he adhered to what I was talking about and gave us the opportunity,” Peter Paul said.
Today, their influence is prevalent in that they established the foundations many continue to take inspiration from decades later. Whether it’s Aaliyah in a tube top and jeans or Billie Eilish in an oversized logo tee and cargo pants, or even the Dapper Dan partnering with Gucci and Pharrell running Louis Vuitton — together Peter Paul and Hilfiger inspired a whole new era of fashion and partnerships.
“I think the kids are more amped about discovering where all this came from,” Peter Paul said. “It’s evident that streetwear, the influence of what we did in the nineties, has now surpassed and become a next-level thing.”
Trend Factory NYC, Homage Awards & Fashion Institute of Technology
After working with Hilfiger, Peter Paul explored other partnerships — solidifying his ability to be a connector. It’s why he established Trend Factory NYC and the Homage Awards.
After seeing numerous successes working with other brands and celebrities Peter Paul partnered with his wife, Deneen Scott, to start their marketing company called Trend Factory NYC. Together, they created it for brands to unlock their potential using their strategic marketing and branding abilities.
“After working with all of these brands, I was like why don’t we just start our own company?” Peter Paul said. Together, they decided to work with celebrities who could make a difference.
Similarly, the Homage Awards were created to uplift and celebrate cultural influences, spotlighting those who continue to leave their mark. Peter Paul describes their selection process as “In union with particular people of the same mindset.”
He gave an example of when he was in Denver, he met former NBA player and TV star-studded couple, Lala and Carmelo Anthony. Peter Paul created a mixtape for them for the All-Star Week and it transitioned into building a relationship while collaborating on a very successful launch called the LA LA ANTHONY Collection.
Through the awards, he wanted to spotlight those like Lala who have the ability and continue to influence pop culture and the hip-hop industry.
“It was those early relationships I had felt, that certain people would be great at marketing based on the way they market themselves and their influence,” Peter Paul said. “Combined with our influence coming together creatively, we could bring something new to the market.”
In wanting to further expand the industry, Peter Paul has also been curating the music for the Fashion Institute of Technology’s graduating class fashion show, Future of Fashion, for the last 10 years. Sponsored by alumni like Calvin Klein, the show is where the best of the class present their work.
“One thing I always like doing is making sure that with these gifts, these talents, these resources that I allow others to flourish underneath that,” he said.
The Culinary Group, Denver and the Future
With this in mind, Peter Paul plans on channeling that mindset into his business as the Entertainment Director of The Culinary Creative Group, which brings him back to where he started in Denver.
“With The Culinary Creative Group, I’m able to leverage my relationships and branding experience in relation to all my connections,” he said.
With the grand opening of Sorry Gorgeous, a new restaurant and bar, Peter Paul is the mastermind behind celebrity appearances. For the launch, he brought in guests like DJ WHOOkid who did a series XFM with Eminem and was part of Waka Flocka.
“I have the whole picture in my head,” Peter Paul said. “I know from a branding standpoint, how to elevate a particular brand, leveraging celebrity relationships, but doing it from an organic standpoint so it doesn’t seem forced.”
As Denver continues to rapidly grow, Peter Paul said it was the perfect time to bring his influence and be a part of that growth and help Denver thrive. It also ties back to Chris Christmas, whose fashion career had such a major influence on Peter Paul that it brought him right back to where his mentor started.
“From here to New Orleans, it’s my job to bring in talent, programming events that will elevate the overall concept of the company,” he said.
After being in the fashion and entertainment industry for decades, Peter Paul continues to pour his heart and soul into creating unique opportunities for anyone and everyone. With his one of a kind approach to brand awareness and marketing, it’s no surprise that he’s managed to make it this far and yet, he’s just warming up.
Denver is just another example of why Peter Paul will forever be the connector.
“I’ve always wanted to come back to Denver because of the roots that I have,” Peter Paul said. “And I’ve always had a very soft spot for Denver based on it being a pivotal point in my career.”