Hugo Boss: tailoring the world since 1923

Hugo Boss has come a long way from its origins as a tailor in 1920s Germany – the clothing company is now one of the biggest fashion brands in the world

Hugo Boss has come a long way from its origins as a tailor’s company in 1920s Germany. The clothing company is now one of the biggest fashion brands in the world, but still retains a unique cachet thanks to its reputation for style and quality through all sectors of the men’s fashion market.

The company’s history makes fascinating reading. The original Hugo Ferdinand Boss was a tailor, born in 1885 in Metzingen, Germany. When he started his tailor’s business in 1923, the country was recovering from the effects of defeat in the First World War and was economically depressed until Hitler’s government spending coaxed its economy back into life.

Hugo Boss suits

Hugo Boss was used by the Nazi government, like Mercedes, Volkswagen and other German brands still popular today – in his case, making the uniforms worn by Hitler’s elite SS officers. The contract ended with the end of the Second World War, and after Hugo Boss died in 1947 the company closed for five years.

In 1953, as West Germany began booming again, a revived Hugo Boss company began producing its first business suits for men. The suit was a huge success, and the company expanded into other markets in other countries. In many people’s eyes, Hugo Boss was “the” fashion label of the power-dressing 1980s.

Hugo Boss: casual menswear

By 1993 Hugo Boss was producing formal and casual menswear and womenswear as well as a range of fragrances – which has gone on to be a success in its own right, although the clothing label struggled later in the decade. The promotion of design director Werner Baldessarini to chief executive began was the first stage in the Hugo Boss’s re-emergence.

At the end of the millennium, Hugo Boss Clothing decided to separate its suits business from its casualwear business. The formal range became known as Boss Black, and the casual garments were given the Boss Orange label. Boss Green, a range of sportwear, was also introduced.

Credit for the revival of Hugo Boss must go largely to Baldessarini, who was rewarded when GQ magazine named him their “Man of the Year” in 2002. Today, Hugo Boss brand men’s designer clothing is now available in more than 5,000 stores in 103 countries and it is as popular as it has ever been.

Hugo Boss: available at Bolo

Bolo, the award-winning designer clothing retailer, has been selling Hugo Boss men’s designer clothing in its range for many years. http://store-uk.hugoboss.com