A Year after the Rebranding of Hugo and Boss (2024)

In January 2022, HUGO BOSS split into two different brands: Hugo and Boss. A bold decision taken by the German luxury brand after 50 years of operation. Motives? Higher sales, targeted branding for each generation, refreshing and contemporary campaigns to reach a global demographics can be a few to mention.

As stated by Daniel Grieder , “HUGO is a brand for young, unconventional, and progressive people who live life on their own terms,” while Boss remains the core brand including a new logo and a 360-degree refresh of all consumer aspects.

Each brand is focused at a specific target group. Hugo aims to attract Gen Z buyers with flashy advertisem*nts and a lower RRP compared to Boss which targets Millennials focusing on modern tailoring and streetwear. The rebranding is fueled by a considerable marketing budget including celebrities such as Kendall Jenner, Anthony Joshua, Matteo Berrettini and Khaby Lame.

A year after how are Hugo and Boss doing? It seems like better than ever before. Based company reports, Hugo Boss delivered a new record of €3.65 billion sales in 2022. Increased EBIT of 47% to €335 million. Daniel Grieder bases the company's success on boosting brands, product is king, lead in digital, rebalancing omnichannel and organizing growth. The sales increased despite ceasing e-commerce operations in Russia.

Seems that the momentum is set and will continue for the German Brand. Fashion brands that separate their product and communication towards specific generations tend to have a better perception by the audience. However, the continuity of the brands performance is to seen in the long run, considering the pace of the fashion industry.

Sustainability is a topic which is missing in their communication and an important one for Gen Z's decision-making. Besides that, I believe Khaby Lame would fit better as an influencer at Hugo since TikTok , its main domain of influence shares more Gen Z users.

To conclude, bold CEO decisions followed by a 360-degree marketing campaign and top-notch product tend to lead to a surge in sales and positive perception by the audience. The fashion industry moves at an unmatched rapid pace. Consumers always want something new, different from the previous season and it seems like Hugo and Boss delivered.