COMPANY TOWN : Tommy Hilfiger Signing With William Morris

Designer Tommy Hilfiger has grown his business into a $600- million fashion and fragrance empire. Now he wants to be in show business.

To that end, Hilfiger said Monday that he was signing with the William Morris Agency. WMA will represent Tommy Hilfiger USA Inc. for multimedia projects encompassing music, film, television, publishing and interactive.

Hilfiger already has a book out (“All American: A Style Book,” Universe Publishing) and shows up on MTV and other channels that feature fashion and lifestyle coverage. He dresses and socializes with rock stars; his name has popped up in rap lyrics since he started dressing Snoop Doggy Dogg a few years ago.

“Mixing music, fashion and entertainment has always been part of my philosophy for design and marketing,” Hilfiger said in a statement.

Indeed, some have credited Hilfiger’s success primarily to shrewd marketing.

William Morris already has some unconventional clients. The same group of executives who will work on Hilfiger projects at WMA represent the city and county of Los Angeles and Anheuser-Busch’s theme parks. For the latter, the agency arranged partnerships with Anheuser-Busch’s Florida park and the TV show “Second Noah.” The ABC series (since canceled) was shot at the park. Anheuser-Busch received a promotional credit and has used the show to promote itself and sell “Second Noah” merchandise at the park.

Hilfiger could gain similar promotional benefits from his association with William Morris, perhaps by gaining an inside track to top stars and productions.