How did PVH and Tommy Hilfiger digitise wholesale with showrooms, 3D and data?
Tommy Hilfiger opened a digital showroom for wholesale buyers in 2015 and moved apparel design into 3D. The case shows what a digital sell-in process needs before AI can add value.
KEY TAKEAWAYS Summary by the editors
- Tommy Hilfiger launched a digital showroom for international wholesale partners at its Amsterdam headquarters on 21 January 2015, built around a touch table linked to a wall of 4K screens.
- CIO Spain reported in 2018 that 80% of PVH Europe's sales process had become digital, with 139 digital showroom workstations in 19 locations across 18 countries.
- In November 2019 Tommy Hilfiger said its Spring 2022 apparel collections would be fully designed in 3D and that more than 50% of its headquarters apparel division associates had been trained through its Stitch Academy.
- PVH's annual report for the fiscal year ended 1 February 2026 says it uses 3D design to shorten time to market and 3D showrooms to be more cost and time efficient.
- The Tommy Hilfiger case shows that AI in wholesale depends on digital foundations first: complete digital product data, digital samples and structured order and account data.
PVH and Tommy Hilfiger digitised wholesale in three steps: a digital showroom for retail buyers from 2015, 3D product creation feeding that showroom from 2017 onwards, and a data-driven planning model connecting buying and selling. PVH has published little about generative AI in wholesale specifically, but its sequence shows the digital foundations that make AI useful in sell-in: complete digital product data, digital samples and structured order data.
What is the Tommy Hilfiger digital showroom?
Tommy Hilfiger opened its digital showroom at its global headquarters in Amsterdam on 21 January 2015, according to Chain Store Age. The centrepiece was a small interactive touch table linked to a large wall of 4K screens. Wholesale buyers could view every item in the sportswear and denim seasonal collections, zoom into design details, check colours and sizes, and place orders. The launch targeted key international wholesale partners, with a global rollout planned.
The stated goals were commercial and environmental: a more engaging buying experience, fewer physical samples, no printed order forms and less shipping. Then CEO Daniel Grieder said the concept "completely reimagines the traditional buying approach".
How far did PVH digitise its wholesale selling?
By 2018, the digital model had scaled. CIO Spain reported that 80% of PVH Europe's sales process was digital, which the article said cut the number of physical samples needed by 80%. PVH Europe, which also owns Calvin Klein, then had 139 digital showroom workstations in 19 locations across 18 countries. The workstations showed full collections with product details, prices, purchase history and delivery dates, and buyers received instant email confirmations.
The same report noted that the digital proposal was initially poorly received by sales teams. The project team first observed salespeople at work for a couple of weeks before redesigning the process, an approach any brand introducing AI into sales should copy: adoption depends on fitting how reps and buyers actually work.
| Year | Milestone | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Digital showroom opens in Amsterdam for wholesale partners | Chain Store Age |
| 2017 | 3D design journey begins: digital fabric, pattern and colour library | FashionNetwork |
| 2018 | 80% of PVH Europe sales process digital; 139 workstations in 18 countries | CIO Spain |
| 2019 | Plan for fully 3D designed apparel collections by Spring 2022 | FashionNetwork |
| 2026 | Annual report cites 3D design and 3D showrooms for cost and time efficiency | PVH Form 10-K |
How does 3D design connect to the digital showroom?
A digital showroom only works if every product exists digitally in sufficient quality. Tommy Hilfiger began its 3D design journey in 2017, building a digital library of fabrics, patterns and colours plus 3D presentation and rendering tools, through its tech incubator Stitch. In November 2019, FashionNetwork reported the brand's plan to roll 3D design out to all global apparel design teams, to design all men's dress shirts for Fall 2020 in 3D without sample production, and to design Spring 2022 apparel collections fully on the 3D platform. Two years of pilots had connected the 3D platform to the digital showroom, and more than 50% of associates in the headquarters apparel divisions had been trained through the Stitch Academy.
PVH's most recent annual report, for the fiscal year ended 1 February 2026, confirms the approach is still in place: the company says it is expanding its use of 3D design technology to reduce time to market and has "utilized 3D showrooms to be more cost and time efficient".
Where does AI fit in this kind of wholesale model?
PVH's annual report describes a "demand- and data-driven operating model" connecting the planning, buying and selling of inventory as one of its growth drivers, and says merchandisers use data and analytics tools to understand customer behaviour and respond to changing demand. PVH has not publicly detailed specific AI tools used with wholesale customers. Based on the foundations described above, the realistic AI applications in a digitised sell-in process are:
- Assortment suggestions for each account based on its past orders, sell-through and store profile.
- Order quality checks that flag size curves or quantities out of line with an account's history.
- Generated product content (descriptions, line sheets, translations) from structured product data and 3D renders.
- Demand signals for buying, aggregating pre-orders across accounts earlier in the season.
- Rep preparation: summaries of each buyer's history before an appointment.
Each of these depends on what PVH built first: digital products, digital orders and consistent account data. Without them, AI in wholesale has nothing reliable to learn from. The order of work also matters for cost: digitising samples and orders delivers savings on its own, through fewer physical samples and less shipping, so AI becomes an additional layer on an investment that already pays back rather than a standalone bet.
What are the limits of this case?
Several of the most specific figures, such as the 80% digital share and the workstation count, date from 2018 and have not been updated publicly. PVH's annual report confirms continued use of 3D design and 3D showrooms but gives no current adoption metrics, and the company has not published results for AI in wholesale. The case is strongest as evidence of how to digitise sell-in, not as proof of AI returns.
Frequently asked questions
When did Tommy Hilfiger open its digital showroom?
Tommy Hilfiger launched its digital showroom at its Amsterdam headquarters on 21 January 2015. It used an interactive touch table linked to a wall of 4K screens so wholesale buyers could browse collections and place orders.
Does Tommy Hilfiger design in 3D?
Yes. Tommy Hilfiger began its 3D design journey in 2017 and planned for its Spring 2022 apparel collections to be fully designed in 3D. PVH's annual report for the fiscal year ended 1 February 2026 says it continues to expand 3D design to shorten time to market.
What is Stitch at PVH?
Stitch was Tommy Hilfiger's tech incubator for digitising design, which built 3D asset libraries and ran the Stitch Academy for training.
Does PVH use AI in wholesale?
PVH has not publicly detailed specific AI tools used with wholesale customers. Its annual report describes a data-driven operating model connecting planning, buying and selling, and the use of data and analytics tools by merchandisers.
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