Hugo Boss has been a powerhouse in the fashion industry for quite some time now. Originally launched in 1987, Hugo Boss has grown to be a household name and an extremely successful company. They are currently Germany’s largest producer of women’s and men’s clothing and one of the world’s biggest men’s fashion companies. Today you can find the company’s products in over 5000 thousands including franchise shops and specialty and retail stores, and is also sold in over 100 countries. The Hugo brand itself is actually split into 3 different sister companies that all have there own look and charm. The three companies include Hugo Boss AG, which is the headquarters of the company, Hugo Boss Industries based in Switzerland is the Hugo’s logistics and management center, and Hugo Boss textile industry located in Turkey. They also have the American subsidiary Hugo Boss USA which has also been extremely successful over the years along with the other three sister companies. Hugo Boss is known for a wide range of products including clothing, shoes, accessories, and fragrances. The different clothing lines that they currently have in production include Hugo, Boss, and Baldessarini. They also produce some other spin off lines including a Hugo Boss golf apparel line and a casual Boss Sports. Although they have been very successful with all of their products, they have been extremely successful with their many fragrance ventures. This is due to the fact that they have been very successful with licensing deals for their accessories and fragrances. In 1990 they also introduced a collection of women’s business wear.
The history of Hugo Boss actually has its roots back to post World War One. Post World War One, Hugo set up a store in Metzingen, Germany. When they first opened their doors, during the hyperinflation and unemployment of a post war Germany, they began making uniforms and protective clothing for industrial workers. They also began to make a name for themselves selling raincoats and other men’s work clothing. In a short little while, this small tailor shop grew into a factory.
When Germany went to war again in 1939, it’s understandable that uniforms were in extremely high demand. In 1997, it was revealed that their war proof linking the company to the production of Nazi uniforms that were made by forced labor and prisoners of war from Poland and France. After this had happened, the owners of the company hired a historian to document the company’s history. In 1999 they pledged to do their best to pay back the laborers that helped to produce the Nazi uniforms and ultimately grow the company.
Throughout history, the ups and downs of the company and two wars, Hugo Boss has been able to overcome and grown to become one of the largest fashion companies and producer of men’s and women’s clothing in the world. This is a task that would have been difficult for any young fashion company was made even harder for Hugo Boss through having to deal with events that were out of their control.
