Luxury fashion label Hugo Boss is dipping its toe into casualwear and has just launched its capsule collection with sportswear giant Russell Athletic in a virtual runway show featuring supermodels Bella Hadid and Ashley Graham. “Russell Athletic are pioneers in the casualisation space and as Boss shifts more towards a more relaxed way of dressing it was a match made in heaven. Having invented the sweatshirt over 100 years ago, the decision to go to the true innovators of relaxed tailored sport
ortswear when designing a collection centered on casualisation was simple,” Matt Keighran, Hugo Boss managing director of SEAPAC told Inside Retail.
“This collaboration in particular allows us the opportunity to reach a new demographic who may not have considered a Boss before, but can now step into the Boss world in a more casual and informal way.”
Inspired by archives from both Hugo Boss and Russell Athletic, the new collection features a range of sweats, hoodies, overcoats and accessories and offers customers a fresh take on tailoring.
While suiting will continue to be a core part of the Hugo Boss offering, Keighran emphasised the need for the brand to continue evolving to suit customers’ changing lifestyles and aesthetics, especially since Covid last year.
“The past year has highlighted more than ever the importance of being agile and moving with the times. Our customers and their experiences have always been front of mind, which helped us understand what their ever changing needs are; including the way we communicate to them, with localised and relevant messaging,” he explained.
“With the addition of data related tools and communication portals we also look to our store teams who have personal and customised relationships with their clients. This helped us engage with our customers in a bespoke manner to surprise and delight them with gifting, offers and services that are personally in tune with their lifestyle.
Last year, Hugo Boss expanded its e-commerce platform across 22 new countries, including the APAC region. Plans are currently underway for the digital platform to eventually align with the in-store experience and offer customers VIP access, previews and exclusive products.
Meanwhile, the major plan for Hugo Boss this year is the Sydney flagship refurbishment on King Street in the CBD, which will showcase the complete Boss offering from casual attire, performance sportswear, suiting, black tie all through to runway collections.