With his design sensibilities so rooted in Americana and good old rock 'n' roll, Tommy Hilfiger seems as American as apple pie. That he is, but he's also extremely proud of his Irish roots. "My visit honours the union of two nations that are not only rooted through history, but also through the connection of my ancestral family," he said at the opening of a new flagship store last November on Dublin's Grafton Street. The designer (57) grew up in the small town of Elmira, New York. The youngest of nine children, he knew from an early age that he wanted to work in fashion. Then, as now, he wanted to make products "for the people" and opened a store called The People's Place in upstate New York, selling jeans that weren't available in his home town. The company went bankrupt when he was 25 but Hilfiger's love of fashion and entrepreneurial spirit wasn't quenched. He went on to build his empire, Tommy Hilfiger Inc, and was named the 1995 Menswear Designer of the Year by the Council of Fashion Designers of America. "I knew exactly what I wanted to do: I wanted to build a brand of clothing around my own attitude and my own lifestyle," he remembers.

His Sportswear store here, on Dublin's most expensive retail strip, joins some 850 Tommy Hilfiger stores worldwide and is the 12th store in the country. It's a pleasing example of contemporary design, the focal point being a glass lift in a frameless glass shaft within an oak stairwell. Antique oak floors, leather ottoman seating and vintage-style light fittings add to its minimal modern appeal. The ground floor is dedicated to men; the first floor contains women's fashion and children are on the second floor.

Hilfiger's democratic attitude to fashion is one of his collection's biggest appeals. He describes it as "traditional with a twist". The designs are simple and clean cut, transcending boundaries so that a yummy mummy is as comfortable in them as a rapper is – something you can't say about the clothes of very many fashion designers.

tommy hilfiger

13-14 Grafton Street Dublin 2

Tel: 01 6337600

www.tommyhilfiger.ie