Hugo Boss accelerates digital move with development of latest collection

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Oct 14, 2020

Hugo Boss is the latest company to speed up its transformation to a more digital operation as the need to put plans that were already in place into full operation becomes more urgent.

It said this week that its Pre-Fall 21 season features the first collection (from the Boss Men’s casualwear label) “to be developed digitally from start to finish”.

The collection, which can be ordered by wholesalers as of Wednesday, will be in-store from April of next year. The 105 pieces of apparel, footwear and accessories went through a completely digital development process. This started with the initial sketches, and went through the selection of fabrics and colours, all the way to prototyping and the finished collection.

The company has been investing in digital for some years and launched a project called Mission 3D back in 2017. But it said the new collection is “a major step to accelerate the digitalisation process”. It now has a goal of developing 80% of its collections on an exclusively electronic basis by 2022.

Chief brand officer Ingo Wilts said the development makes the company “one of the first in the fashion industry to create a complete digital universe that extends from collection development to ordering. Avatars perform the roles of models, with the digital lookbook marking an important step forward in our cooperation with partners”.

The company also said the move gives it “greater flexibility throughout the value-creation chain, facilitating shorter go-to-market times and faster responses to consumer trends”. 

And reflecting the cost and sustainability focus of companies at present, it said it can “accommodate the needs of its trading partners at lower cost and with greater adaptability, by reducing sample costs and offering additional options when it comes to combining cuts and fabrics. Sustainability aspects also number among the definite advantages of this new direction”.