TOMMY HILFIGER FREEDOM AMERICA READIED FOR INCREDIBLE DEMANDS OF SOUTHERN OCEAN
Brad Van Liew to dive south in Leg 3 from South Africa to New Zealand

New York, N.Y. (December 9, 2002) - Five days separate Brad Van Liew from his decent into the southern latitudes of the Indian Ocean. It is a brutal sea with unruly winds and unrelenting abuse towards sailors. In preparation for this 35+ day sprint Van Liew and his Tommy Hilfiger Freedom America crew have been busy with repairs, preparation and transition.

The boat is being winterized, with the installation of new southern ocean sails made of Spectra(r) fiber material by Honeywell. The sails Van Liew used to crush the competition in Leg 1 and Leg 2 of the race are stored and will not be seen again until Leg 5 demands them for lighter upwind conditions. In fact, Van Liew's new mainsail was designed with the southern ocean in mind. The design team at Tommy Hilfiger U.S.A., Inc. included bright blue stars throughout the sail to signify the amazing lights Van Liew will see in the Southern Ocean, which are developed from the refraction of light off the ice covered Antarctic continent. With 20 hours of light each day, Van Liew will be eager for more star-filled evenings.

"The southern ocean is cold, gray, and often mean," said Van Liew. "This amazing region of water surrounding Antarctica is the roughest sailing on earth. There are no land masses to stop the wind and waves from building and gaining momentum. Often times I am racing the waves themselves, to stay in front of the thundering breaks that douse the decks in freezing cold water. There is ice on deck and the threat of icebergs in the water."

How does one prepare for such a challenging environment, while at the same time recover from a brutal 44 days at sea during Leg 2? Van Liew's answer is simple - teamwork. Although the Around Alone is a solo race, one cannot succeed without a devoted and skilled team, on the docks and in the office. While Van Liew took off for some R&R with his family, his shore team inspected Tommy Hilfiger Freedom America from stem to stern. The original builder of the boat traveled from France to join in the analysis. The engine, winches and deck hardware were all serviced and a heater was installed for the chilly weeks ahead. Van Liew will travel in Leg 3 with less water, more fuel and more clothes. The heater will dry one set of foul weather gear while Van Liew gets doused in the other. The outerwear was specifically designed for this abuse in an agreement between Guy Cotten and Tommy Hilfiger.

Leg 3 of the Around Alone race will send Van Liew more than 7,125 nautical miles from Cape Town, South Africa, to Tauranga, New Zealand. He will head south from Cape Town, rounding Cape Agulhas (the southernmost tip of the African continent), continuing east with Australia and Tasmania to the north, and finally head north to round Cape Reinga (the northern tip of New Zealand). This solo voyage will last approximately 35 days and will include a lonely Christmas at sea.

To track Van Liew's progress and to get daily updates from the Tommy Hilfiger Freedom America yacht, please visit www.tommy.com/freedomamerica. Brad will be feeding the site with diary entries and photos taken aboard the yacht. Graphic depictions and footage of Brad and his adventures at sea are available upon request.

About Tommy Hilfiger
Tommy Hilfiger Corporation, through its subsidiaries, designs, sources and markets men's and women's sportswear, jeanswear and childrenswear under the Tommy Hilfiger trademarks. Through a range of strategic licensing agreements, the Company also offers a broad array of related apparel, accessories, footwear, fragrance and home furnishings. The Company's products can be found in leading department and specialty stores throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, Mexico, Central and South America, Japan, Hong Kong and other countries in the Far East, as well as the Company's own network of specialty and outlet stores in the United States, Canada and Europe.

About Around Alone
Around Alone is the longest race on earth for any individual in any sport. Formerly the BOC Challenge, the Around Alone course spans some 28,755 miles of the world's roughest and most remote oceans. It is a grueling single-handed sailing race, one of the most difficult and dangerous ever conceived where competitors are both the captain and crew, pitting themselves and their craft against the elements, alone, and where the finish line is literally a world away. The race is held every four years.