Today one of the largest fashion houses, but the origin of the brand Hugo Boss is overshadowed by one of humanity’s most atrocious events. One that the company, after many years and a public apology, managed to overcome thanks to the redesign of its brand and even the business. This is the history of the German company.
History of Hugo Boss
On July 8, 1885, in Metzingen, Germany, Hugo Ferdinand Boss was born. His childhood was spent in his father’s lingerie store. It was this experience, coupled with the desire to help his family get ahead, that motivated him to found his own tailoring business in 1924 called “Hugo Boss AG”. This store initially specialized in sports and work clothing for unions such as the police.
To start the business, Boss partnered with several Jewish families because, prior to World War II, they were the ones who led that business segment. However, this fact changed with the arrival of Adolf Hitler to power as all the workshops were evacuated. It was the same designer who made some of these complaints to demonstrate his commitment to the National Socialist Party to which he joined in 1931.
It was these events that contributed to the exponential growth of the Hugo Boss workshop. During that time he became one of the official manufacturers of the uniforms of the Nazi Regime, which he would be in charge of dressing. It is estimated that he produced more than three and a half million military uniforms for the SA, SS and Wehrmacht. He is credited with the sadly familiar brown shirt.
During World War II, the business was especially profitable due to the increase in demand for clothing for the German army. Unfortunately, in order to fulfill the incessant orders, the Germanic tailor resorted to forced labor. Mainly from Jewish women from France and Poland, whom he kept in deplorable working conditions.
Postwar period and the impact on Hugo Boss
During the war, the workshop enjoyed resounding success; However, with the end of the war and the German defeat, society began to prosecute everything related to the Nazi Regime and Hugo Boss was no exception.. The courts found him guilty, he was sentenced to three years without being able to do business and had to pay a fine of 80,000 German marks.
This reputation and subsequent sentence ended up sinking the workshop, but the German tailor did not give up and continued with it until his death in 1948. It was then that his son and son-in-law tried to resume the business and, in addition to continuing with the production of uniforms for The police or the postal department made a first attempt, without much success, to market suits for men.
It wasn’t until the late ’60s that Boss’s grandsons, Jochen and Uwe Holy, began to change history. They were the ones who managed to make the leap into the world of fashion and created modern and sophisticated suits for businessmen, which catapulted the brand’s fame.
Over time, it expanded, adding fragrances, accessories and more to its product portfolio, thus forming the multimillion-dollar fashion empire we know today.
New brand, new opportunity
Since 1992, the company has ceased to be in the hands of the Boss family when it was acquired by Marzotto SpA, an Italian group. Currently, Frasers Group is the main shareholder and there is even talk of interest on the part of LVMH in acquiring Hugo Boss.
What were the keys to ensuring that, despite its past and reputational damage, Hugo Boss remains valid and solid today? The task was anything but simple and quick, since it took many years to leave behind. Among the keys were:
Change of strategy and business
One of the first and most important steps was the change of direction that the company took, leaving behind any indication that related them to their past, such as, for example, the production of uniforms, and they headed towards a totally different segment such as luxury clothing for men.
Recognize and compensate
Erasing their origins is impossible, in fact, in 1999, the survivors and families of those who worked under forced labor during World War II sued the German government and industry, and to compensate for the damage, a fund was created for more than 5 thousand millions of dollars in compensation for those affected. Hugo Boss participated with an estimated 752,000 euros.
That was not all, since they also financed research, which was published in the book titled: “Hugo Boss, 1924-1945. “A Clothing Factory During the Weimar Republic and Third Reich” with the aim of bringing clarity and objectivity to the discussion. After publication in 2011, the company issued a public apology for that past.
Adaptation to change
Reputation was not its only crisis, since COVID-19 significantly impacted the company. Due to the mandatory closure of offices and the implementation and establishment of work models such as the home officethe demand for its products was affected.
To overcome the situation, the brand modified its offer and in 2022 launched a collection that surprised everyone, leaving aside the dress clothes and, in alliance with the sportswear firm, Russell Athletic, they presented a new concept with a theme of baseball.
Audience selection
In recent years the brand was losing relevance, so they decided to redesign the brand and strategy, which is how they created Hugo and Boss, the first focused on Generation Z, while the second has millennials in its sights.
There have been many efforts made by Hugo Boss over the years to be able to put aside its tortuous past and become the multimillion-dollar luxury fashion empire that it is today.
Daniela Ramos Communicator and mother. With 10 years of experience, I have been able to tell stories related to business, personal finances, work culture, entrepreneurship and technology.