Hey Hilfigers, Meet the Cobrasnakes!
By PAPER
Photographed by Jiro Schneider
(Upper left) Celebrating Hilfiger's mom's birthday at their home in Palm Springs. (Bottom right) A "Cobrasnake moment" in a vintage Tommy Hilfiger ad. Hilfiger photos from the book Tommy Hilfiger.
Two very different friends of ours are turning 25 this season, so we thought it would be fun to introduce them to one another.T ommy Hilfiger celebrated his eponymous line's 25th anniversary with a killer fall fashion show, mega birthday party, cool new campaign "Introducing the Hilfigers" and huge book (out via Assouline) documenting the history of his all-American brand. At the same time, our favorite West Coast eccentric nightlife photographer and entrepreneur Mark Hunter (aka The Cobrasnake) recently turned the big 2-5, and hosted a week's-worth of parties at various L.A. hotspots, with a blowout finale at his new vintage clothing boutique, the wacky and amazing "Pawn Shop."
Worlds recently collided when Hunter hosted a little tailgate party in the backyard of his Hollywood bungalow for a crew of family and friends, all decked out in Hilfiger looks (with a Cobrasnake T-shirt or two thrown in for good measure).
We asked both Hilfiger and Hunter to talk a bit about how they like to celebrate their respective birthdays and other milestones with their families and friends. Happy 25th, guys!
Black-and-white photo of a Hilfiger beach party in Mustique from the book Tommy Hilfiger. Behind the scenes photographs by Mark "the Cobrasnake" Hunter.
TOMMY HILFIGER:
"Growing up, I had eight brothers and sisters and we always had other friends and family around us, so I'm used to a big crowd and tons of activity. My favorite way to celebrate my birthday is with my family at my home in Mustique. Every year I celebrate by swimming and snorkeling in the Lagoon Beach there. Then we always have a big beach barbecue with Caribbean jerk chicken, callaloo soup and local vegetables. A few years ago my wife Dee and friends all wore grass skirts and we had a Caribbean reggae band play on the sand. It was lots of fun and lots of laughs."
MARK HUNTER:
"My backyard has always been the place where my friends and family celebrate holidays, weekends and Jewish events. We recently converted it into a "living room" complete with a working 52-inch big-screen TV, a chaise lounge in the shape of a stiletto and a seven-foot bird-cage-turned-DJ-booth. We can never tell when it will turn into a full on party so I always have a five-year supply of Vitaminwater on hand, and my mom stocks the fridge weekly with veggie lasagna and enchiladas. A quarter century was a big deal for me, so we made it a weeklong celebration! Each night was a different event ending in a ten-hour party at my Cobrasnake store. It actually was more like Halloween, as friends and family came in different costumes -- as mimes, ghosts, strippers... Speaking of strippers, my buddy C.C. Sheffield popped out of a cobra-shaped cake to sing "Happy Birthday" to me in nothing but cut-offs and pasties made of Cobrasnake stickers. One of my friends had too much to drink that night and tried to make out with my grandpa in front of everyone!"
Check out the Cobrasnake's behind the scenes video from our shoot!
Styled by Djuna Bel
Stylist's assistant: Annie Castaldi
Intern: Christopher Rivera
Grooming by Sandy Ganze
Two very different friends of ours are turning 25 this season, so we thought it would be fun to introduce them to one another.T ommy Hilfiger celebrated his eponymous line's 25th anniversary with a killer fall fashion show, mega birthday party, cool new campaign "Introducing the Hilfigers" and huge book (out via Assouline) documenting the history of his all-American brand. At the same time, our favorite West Coast eccentric nightlife photographer and entrepreneur Mark Hunter (aka The Cobrasnake) recently turned the big 2-5, and hosted a week's-worth of parties at various L.A. hotspots, with a blowout finale at his new vintage clothing boutique, the wacky and amazing "Pawn Shop."
Worlds recently collided when Hunter hosted a little tailgate party in the backyard of his Hollywood bungalow for a crew of family and friends, all decked out in Hilfiger looks (with a Cobrasnake T-shirt or two thrown in for good measure).
We asked both Hilfiger and Hunter to talk a bit about how they like to celebrate their respective birthdays and other milestones with their families and friends. Happy 25th, guys!
Black-and-white photo of a Hilfiger beach party in Mustique from the book Tommy Hilfiger. Behind the scenes photographs by Mark "the Cobrasnake" Hunter. TOMMY HILFIGER:
"Growing up, I had eight brothers and sisters and we always had other friends and family around us, so I'm used to a big crowd and tons of activity. My favorite way to celebrate my birthday is with my family at my home in Mustique. Every year I celebrate by swimming and snorkeling in the Lagoon Beach there. Then we always have a big beach barbecue with Caribbean jerk chicken, callaloo soup and local vegetables. A few years ago my wife Dee and friends all wore grass skirts and we had a Caribbean reggae band play on the sand. It was lots of fun and lots of laughs."
MARK HUNTER:
"My backyard has always been the place where my friends and family celebrate holidays, weekends and Jewish events. We recently converted it into a "living room" complete with a working 52-inch big-screen TV, a chaise lounge in the shape of a stiletto and a seven-foot bird-cage-turned-DJ-booth. We can never tell when it will turn into a full on party so I always have a five-year supply of Vitaminwater on hand, and my mom stocks the fridge weekly with veggie lasagna and enchiladas. A quarter century was a big deal for me, so we made it a weeklong celebration! Each night was a different event ending in a ten-hour party at my Cobrasnake store. It actually was more like Halloween, as friends and family came in different costumes -- as mimes, ghosts, strippers... Speaking of strippers, my buddy C.C. Sheffield popped out of a cobra-shaped cake to sing "Happy Birthday" to me in nothing but cut-offs and pasties made of Cobrasnake stickers. One of my friends had too much to drink that night and tried to make out with my grandpa in front of everyone!"
Check out the Cobrasnake's behind the scenes video from our shoot!
Styled by Djuna Bel
Stylist's assistant: Annie Castaldi
Intern: Christopher Rivera
Grooming by Sandy Ganze
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