Tommy Hilfiger: 'I've been buried under an avalanche in Austria'

I used to adore Mickey Mouse and watching The Mickey Mouse Club. I grew up in Elmira, New York. The house was small, but very pleasant. I had eight brothers and sisters so it was noisy. Our television was black and white and we’d all huddle round to watch.

My relationship with my father in the earlier years was strange. He wanted me to be a grade A student. He wanted me to go to an Ivy League school. I wasn’t great at school. It was only after I became successful that he realised I was more disciplined than he’d thought.

Being a fashion brand doesn’t have that depth of importance. I would rather be remembered for my philanthropy and for my involvement with autism. I have children who have been affected by autism, a sister with MS and a daughter with Lyme disease. I want to do what I can.

Michael Jackson didn’t really eat. We had lunch at his house – grilled chicken and some salad. He was drinking a lot of Diet Coke. It was surreal meeting him. He was in his 30s, but like a little boy. So nice, so sweet, so talented, but a bit troubled. We lost touch later on.

I’ve been buried under an avalanche in Austria. I was helicopter skiing and went off a cliff. I went into shock. I was with a ski instructor and I was trying to follow him and got caught on an edge. Luckily I was wearing a beeper and he dug me out. I was buried for just under an hour.

I don’t cook. You wouldn’t want anything I cooked anyway. At home we eat organic, but I travel a lot and tend to eat out. I love Joe’s Stone Crab in Miami. The crabs are only in season in the months of April and December. You put a bib on, crack them open and dip them in an amazing sauce.

I used to really mind getting older, but I’m calm about it now. I had a lot fun when I was younger. But I feel grounded and secure with my life and in my youth I wasn’t completely satisfied with where I was. I always thought I needed to be more successful. I now avoid drama and trauma.

I wore bell bottoms and silky shirts to Studio 54. I wanted to dress like a rock star. I got to know Andy Warhol and he was very inspirational. We spent time in Factory, in Studio 54, La Grenouille. John F Kennedy Jr and I were friends. His death shook us all.

I had dinner with Zaha Hadid three days before she died. We were beginning to talk about doing a project together. She was incredibly talented. At the time I thought she was a bit under the weather with a cold.

I’m pretty boring when it comes to clothes. I have 50 white shirts, 50 chinos, 50 pairs of jeans and 25 pairs of white sneakers. Some navy and grey suits and black and brown shoes. It’s more of a uniform, really.