Jackie breezes in for Tommy Hilfiger store opening
Last Friday (December 5) was a prime example of the madness that is a day in the life of Jacqueline Fernandez. She flew into Sri Lanka, went
Star power: Jackie in Tommy Hilfiger and left guests at the event. Pix by Indika Handuwala
straight into the passport office, followed by lunch, and later breezed into the newly opened Tommy Hilfiger store at the Arcade as a ‘friend of the brand’. Later that night, she would fly back to India.
Jackie has had a charmed rise to success from her days on the ramp to become one of the most coveted names in Bollywood. Her film Kick with Salman Khan became India’s second highest grossing Bollywood film of all time, and she’s currently filming ‘Roy’ with Ranbir Kapoor. The actress will be the first to tell you that it’s not just looks and talent that matters in this industry- wise business decisions have also played a significant role in her success, and continue to do so.
Jackie’s endorsement of the Hilfiger brand, a high-end line for men and women, is one of the few that she has taken on since her rise to fame. “I must be one of the choosiest actors in Bollywood!” she laughs. “I think very carefully before endorsing a brand. It’s very important to me that I believe in what I’m encouraging other people to try.” With the opening of this store Sri Lanka joined the ever-growing Hilfiger network that operates 1400 stores in over 90 countries.
In Sri Lanka Jackie’s partnerships include Kaema Sutra and Colombo Jewellery Stores. The actress is a 
business partner in the former and a faithful brand ambassador of the latter. “I wore CJS jewellery even before I began the endorsement,” she points out. “The same is true of Tommy Hilfiger in a way-I’ve always been a customer and that’s why I’m here today. I love the casual elegance of the brand.” At the launch she wore a bohemian asymmetrical dress from the line, and even put together four looks for the evening. “I like to own the brand and really be their customer,” she shared.
She has just wrapped up filming for the Definition of Fear, her first international film with director James Simpson and Academy Award winning producer Christopher Branch. “I’ve received some very positive feedback,” she says of post-filming work. The film was shot in Canada and it wasn’t just the drastic change in weather that struck Jackie-“If you think about it we were doing the same thing as in Bollywood-making a film-but the approach is pretty different.” In Bollywood she’d got rather used to being ‘pampered’, she laughs. “In India the actor is larger than life. When I was shooting this film we were all looked on as technicians almost, so it was more about the film and how committed you were to it.”