The extensive rebrand comes after Hugo Boss realized they lost relevancy.
In recent years, Hugo Boss barely made headlines compared to their fellow German clothing brands Adidas, MCM, and Puma.
Despite having an established presence in the market for 98 years, today’s fast-paced digital era is a whole new ballgame. Now, they’re rebranding to fit into the lives of the millennials and Gen-Z members of society.
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“Ten to 15 years ago, Hugo Boss was the north star for many brands, with perfect positioning and strong relevance,” CEO Daniel Grieder told Vogue Business. “Over the last six years, Hugo Boss has maintained its brand awareness but crucially lost its relevance in the fashion industry. Heritage is great and I realised that the potential of this brand is enormous—but we have to reframe it.”
What’s dividing and what’s coming together
To do this, Hugo Boss is catering to two young demographics and splitting into two brands. Targeting Gen Z, aged under 25, is Hugo.
@hugo The HUGO squad is here: hats off to all those who dare to go their own way #HowDoYouHUGO ♬ Body Movin – BM
By introducing accessible pricing, denim, streetwear, and contemporary tailoring, the brand aims to be the age group’s top of mind for dressing around self-expression. Hugo taps dancer Maddie Ziegler, model Adut Akech, and Korean-American rapper Big Matthew as its campaign stars for campaigns primarily on social media, mostly Tiktok.
For the millennials, aged 25 to 40, Boss is offering the same digital marketing approach but this time, mainly on Instagram. This segment will still produce tailored menswear pieces as well as casual and athleisure. While in womenswear, it “touches all bases” from business and casual attire to evening wear.
Previously, the brand placed athleisure styles under BOSS Green and casual pieces under BOSS Orange. This time, both themes are united under one for-the-millenials division.
Broad spectrum marketing
The #BeYourOwnBOSS ambassadors include supermodels Kendall Jenner and Hailey Bielber, rapper Future, South Korean singer and actor Lee Min-ho and boxer Anthony Joshua.
Shot globally by photographer Mikael Jansson , the campaign isn’t limited to images and videos. According to Boss, their launch is a “dedicated broad spectrum” that will share podcasts, behind the scenes features, IG stories, and reels.
“With the branding refresh and the release of the star-studded campaigns, we are ushering in an entirely new era for BOSS and HUGO. It is our aim to excite new and younger target groups and turn them into fans of our brands,” Grieder said in a press release. “Both campaigns are therefore an important step in further boosting brand relevance and in reaching our goal to become a top 100 global brand in the years to come.”
Banner photo courtesy of Hugo Boss.
