We have heard a lot about the quality of German cars and equipment, but the phrase “German fashion” sounds somewhat contradictory. Despite everything, one of the clearest examples that classics can be fashionable, successful and popular is the German brand Hugo Boss.
Hugo Ferdinand Boss was born in 1885 in Germany in the city of Metzingen. He received a technical secondary specialized education and also learned trade. Hugo worked in weaving factories for several years and in 1908, after the death of his parents, he inherited a textile store. The same year for the young entrepreneur was marked by his marriage to Anna Katharina Freisinger. Soon the newlyweds had a daughter, Gertrude.
Long before the classic Boss suits: the uniform
By 1923, Hugo opened a small factory based on the store he had inherited and gradually expanded it, producing uniforms for postmen, policemen and workers. Two years later, the company was hit by difficult financial times and the owner began to expand production, offering clothes in new directions; for example, hunting clothes. The boss took out a loan to buy new equipment, some workers agreed to reduce wages, but this did not improve the situation.
The year 1931 was difficult not only for Hugo Boss: the crisis in the country forced many entrepreneurs to curtail their businesses. At this point, Hugo made a decision that is quite controversial to date, which allowed his company to stay afloat and survive in difficult times: the Boss became a member of the National Socialist Party of Germany, which allowed his company to fulfill orders for the production of uniforms for the CC, CA, and the Hitler Youth. It is stated that Hugo Boss himself was not involved in the design and development of the uniforms and regalia; this work was done by Karl Diebitsch.
From 1932 to 1945, the Hugo Boss factory almost completely dressed the German army, from ordinary soldiers to Wehrmacht officers. During the Second World War, his enterprise was declared an important military enterprise. The factory employed more than 150 forced laborers from Eastern Europe and France.
No voting rights, no founder
1946 ushered in the next difficult period in the history of Hugo Boss: the Third Reich fell, the ideas of fascism were declared criminal and all enterprises that collaborated with them fell into disgrace. This fate did not pass Hugo by and he paid a large fine at that time of 80,000 marks, and was also deprived of the right to vote.
Two years later, Hugo Boss died and his production was taken over by his son-in-law Jogen Holy. Hugo Boss once again began producing uniforms for railway workers and police officers.
Hugo Boss's first men's suit
In 1953, Hugo Boss decided to produce a classic men's suit for the first time. Gradually, the brand is moving away from the mass market and moving towards High Fashion. In 1967, the company was taken over by the founder's grandchildren Johann and Ove. Thanks to them, Hugo Boss has become a world famous brand.
In the 70s, Hugo Boss expanded and developed, becoming the largest men's clothing manufacturer in Germany and an influential fashion house with Werner Baldessarini as its chief designer. Hugo Boss sponsored golf and tennis championships and Formula 1 races. In 1984, the first fragrance from Hugo Boss appeared.
Italian temperament and German restraint
The next leap in the development of Hugo Boss was the acquisition of the brand by the Italian Marzotto SpA, which today is the Fashion Group. The heirs of the brand founder no longer have any connection with the company, and it is led by Peter Littman. He identified several lines aimed at different consumer audiences:
Classic Boss line
Hugo Youth Line
Luxury line Baldessarini
Combining classic foundations with fashion trends, Hugo Boss has won many fans.
2000s
The beginning of the 21st century turned out to be more than eventful for Hugo Boss. The brand launched a women's clothing line. He was again accused of collaborating with the Nazis and allocated a large sum to a fund to support victims of the criminal regime. A children's line was launched, as well as lines of men's cosmetics and optics. Together with Swarovski, Hugo Boss began producing women's jewelry and accessories. A mobile phone was released together with Samsung.
Hugo Boss today
The Hugo Boss brand has expanded its lines and today is presented as follows:
Premium clothing and accessories BOSS Black Label
Luxury men's clothing and accessories BOSS Selection
Modern sportswear BOSS Green
Practical casual clothing and accessories BOSS Orange
Avant-garde clothing and accessories HUGO
Hugo Boss produces more than 40 men's and women's fragrances together with the Procter & Gamble concern.
The clothes of this brand are so strongly associated with success and power that it seems that these concepts are sewn into them at the factory. Strictly maintained styles, restrained colors and impeccable German workmanship are the hallmarks of Hugo Boss clothing. In the summer of 2014, American designer Jason Wu was appointed creative director of the brand. Thanks to his ability to create interesting evening looks, elegant liberation was added to the German reliability of Hugo Boss.
The history of Hugo Boss is not entirely typical: as a rule, the founder of the brand makes a significant contribution to the development of fashion, and the company is named after him during his lifetime. However, with Hugo Boss everything happened differently. In the 1920s, Hugo Boss, sometimes without even mentioning his name, began producing overalls, protective clothing, raincoats and uniforms for soldiers and workers. The first suit that made the brand famous was released in 1954, a few years after the death of Hugo himself. His grandchildren, Uwe and Johan Holy, approved their grandfather’s name as the name of the company - it emanated solidity, it was readable and easy to pronounce in almost all languages - and began step by step to establish the company’s international authority.
Today, Hugo Boss is one of the most influential companies in the fashion world and has an annual turnover of approximately $1.67 billion.
The brand has several clothing lines:
- The Hugo line is clothing for stylish, creative young people who are always on the move;
- Baldessarini - exquisite clothes for going out;
Black Label - classic style for a business man;
Orange Label - casual weekend wear, you feel cozy and comfortable in it, but at the same time it is not purely sporty;
The new Selection line occupies a niche between Black Label and Baldessarini. These are exclusive fabrics, handmade, very high quality;
Hugo Boss (Russian: Hugo Boss) is a German company, a manufacturer of fashionable clothing. The brand was founded in Germany in 1923. The main shareholder of the company is the Italian Valentino Fashion Group, it owns 50.9% of the shares.
Brand Hugo Boss
About company
Hugo Boss is a popular German company that produces clothes mainly in a classic style. This is necessarily a strict image and clear lines, because the main clients are executives, politicians and entrepreneurs who need clothes that represent the status of its owner. In addition, the luxury perfumes and accessories produced by the brand are successful. But the company has been achieving this success for almost 100 years, starting with the production of protective clothing and soldier uniforms.
Brand history
The history of the company goes back to 1923, when Hugo Boss opened a workwear tailoring shop in Metzingen (Germany) where his family worked. The atelier grows into a small factory, but the enterprise cannot survive the crisis, and Hugo Boss joins the Nazi party and receives large orders for sewing uniforms for military personnel. Its factories employ prisoners of war. But after the end of the war, the entrepreneur was accused of collaborating with the Nazis and imposed a huge fine.
Hugo Boss died in 1948 and his children and grandchildren took control of the company and turned the company towards the world of high fashion, gradually turning the brand into a global brand. A perfume line is launched. The Fashion House is founded.
In 1993, the company was bought by Valentino Fashion Group. Global changes in the brand structure are taking place. There are lines designed for different target audiences. These include the timeless classic “Black Lable” for young men, the youth trend “Orange Lable” for a casual weekend, and luxury clothing “Baldessarini” – elegant, expensive clothing for the financial and political elite.
In 2000, a women's business line and a casual line were launched, and later a children's line. A large project of luxury accessories is entering the market. These are luxury eyewear, watch production in cooperation with a Swiss company, men's cosmetics, women's jewelry, together with the company.
In 2009, the company begins producing a mobile phone Samsung.
Hugo Boss brand products is an indicator of the excellent taste and elegance of its owner. The company is actively engaged in social activities; this name has become a lifestyle, a symbol of well-being. Therefore, it is not surprising that the company currently generates revenues of about $1.5 billion. The number of employees working in the company exceeded 9,000 people.
Only expensive materials are used to sew clothing models, because they are made in the highest-rated factories in the world. The leather for the products of the "Boss Hugo Boss" line is tanned only in Germany and England from lambs raised in Alpine meadows and passed the most meticulous test for the absence of fat under the skin.
Facts about the company
- Every year the company produces 200 tuxedos for the Oscars.
- Since 1995, Hugo Boss has sponsored a network of Guggenheim museums in different cities and countries.
- Provides sponsorship support for Formula 1 and golf competitions. Helps other elite sports.
- The main shareholder of the company is Valentino Fashion Group.
- Chief Executive Officer - Bruno Selzer.
- Products are presented in 120 countries in more than 6,000 stores.
In 1923, Hugo Boss founded the company in the small German city of Metzingen. In the 1920s, he created overalls, protective clothing, raincoats and uniforms for soldiers and workers, sometimes without even indicating his name, and the suits that made the brand famous only began to be produced in 1953, a few years after the death of Hugo himself.
In the following decades the company experienced ups and downs, and it was only in the 1970s that Uwe and Johan Holy, now Hugo's grandchildren, were able to put the business on a secure footing. It was they who approved the name of their grandfather as the name of the company - it emanated solidity, it was readable and easy to pronounce in almost all languages - and began step by step to establish the company's authority in the international arena and increase sales volumes.
Hugo Boss
A successful and decisive PR move for Hugo Boss was the creation of clothing for the film Rocky 4 starring Sylvester Stallone. Later, the Hugo Boss brand used this move again and provided clothing to the heroes of the popular American TV series Miami Vice.
Today, the German company Hugo Boss is one of the most influential in the fashion world and has an annual turnover of about one and a half billion dollars a year.
As part of the extensive HUGO BOSS sales network, which includes 250 BOSS brand stores, the brand is represented in more than 100 countries. Thanks to HUGO BOSS's active work in various fields, this name has become a symbol of well-being, a modern perception of life, and a lifestyle.
Every year the company provides about 200 tuxedos for the Academy Awards ceremony. World-famous Hollywood stars prefer HUGO BOSS to other men's clothing brands. Regular clients of the Boss Hugo Boss brand are the most famous men in the world, such as Antonio Banderas, John Travolta, Brad Pitt, etc.
Since 1995, HUGO BOSS has been an active supporter of the renowned Guggenheim network of contemporary art museums in 4 cities around the world.
Formula 1 fans and golf fans are probably aware that HUGO BOSS is one of the sponsors of these elite sports competitions. Leading Formula 1 drivers Michael Schumacher, Miko Hakkinen and David Coulthard, famous tennis players Stefan Edberg and Thomas Muster, as well as one of the world's most famous golfers Phil Michelsen make up the majority of their wardrobe from HUGO BOSS models.
From a menswear brand once associated with classic, perfectly cut suits, BOSS HUGO BOSS has transformed into an upscale clothing brand that harmoniously combines traditional classics with leisure and social wear.
The Hugo Boss man is active, focused and success-oriented; in addition, he is also self-confident, has impeccable taste, and keeps up with the times.
Black main label - BOSS brand HUGO BOSS for successful businessmen, top managers, politicians.
Hugo HUGO BOSS is a red label for advanced informal youth.
And the Baldessarini HUGO BOSS brand is for sophisticated clients; the clothes of this brand are sewn by hand.
The orange label of the brand "Boss Sport Hugo Boss" is presented for people who love an active lifestyle.
All these brands make HUGO BOSS a trendsetter in the international arena. All clothing models are made exclusively from expensive materials, since 80% of the materials for Hugo Boss are made by the most famous weaving factories.
The leather for the branded "Boss Hugo Boss" jackets is made only in England and Germany. At the same time, lambs are specially raised in Alpine meadows, after which only those animals are selected that have the least amount of fat under their skin - this contributes to further elasticity of the skin. One long jacket requires 4 to 6 lambs!
To ensure an appropriate presentation of its products, HUGO BOSS sells them exclusively in carefully selected exclusive stores as well as BOSS brand stores. Quality and design, innovation and creativity are the driving elements of the company.
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