Founded in 1924 in Metzingen, Hugo Boss is one of the world’s biggest (and most overrated) brands in the fashion industry today. It produces almost any kind of clothes and accessories imaginable for both men and women – shirts, skirts, suits and so on.
But…where?
Are they (still) made in Germany? Or did it outsource most (if not all) of its production to various Asian countries, as many other brands (like Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein) did?
In this QA article, we’ll find out the answer to that question!
- Introduction
- Most Frequently Asked Questions About Where Is Hugo Boss Made
- Is Hugo Boss Made in Germany?
- Is Hugo Boss Made in Poland?
- Is Hugo Boss Made in Turkey?
- Is Hugo Boss Made in Italy?
- Is Hugo Boss Made in the US?
- Is Hugo Boss Made in China?
- Is Hugo Boss Made in Bangladesh?
- Is Hugo Boss Made in Vietnam, Croatia, Bulgaria…?
- Where are Hugo Boss Glasses and Sunglasses Made?
- Where are Hugo Boss Watches Made?
- Where is Hugo Boss Perfume Made?
- Conclusion
Read: The ULTIMATE Guide to Hugo Boss Lines on the Internet
Introduction
Before we begin our journey across the globe, it’s important … :
(1) … to know that the information that I’ll be sharing with you in this article is a result of me looking at hundreds of listings on eBay AND of my rich scavenging and bargain hunting careers.
(2) … to know that I’m not affiliated with Hugo Boss AG in anyway whatsoever (and have never been).
(3) … to read these two articles first, in order to fully understand this article.
Read: Where is Armani Made? Is it in Italy?
Most Frequently Asked Questions About Where Is Hugo Boss Made
Is Hugo Boss Made in Germany?
Yes, some Hugo Boss products are made in Germany.
From what I’ve seen, a significant part of Boss’ products from its premium (Hugo Boss Tailored) and capsule lines is made in-house in Metzingen, whereas products from its made-to-measure program (such as suits) are made by Regent in Weißenburg in Bayern.
Historically, most Hugo Boss’ products (suits and blazers) from the Black Label (BOSS) and Red label (HUGO) were also made in Germany but that isn’t the case any longer because Hugo Boss, like most other fashion brands, had shifted most of its production to other countries (especially Turkey) where labor costs and materials are much lower than in Germany.
Read: The ULTIMATE Guide to Giorgio Armani Lines on the Internet
Is Hugo Boss Made in Poland?
Yes, some Hugo Boss products are made in Poland in their Radom plant.
From what I’ve seen, Polish-made Hugo Boss products are, for the most part, overcoats from the BOSS and the Tailored line – I owned one before I decided to…upgrade to something better. Without breaking the bank, of course!
Read: The BEST Guide to Zegna Lines IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM (and Beyond)
Is Hugo Boss Made in Turkey?
Yes, the vast majority of Hugo Boss formalwear (suits, dress shirts, blazers) and casualwear (shirts, denim products) from all lines is made in their “smart factory” in Izmir, Turkey (its largest) and by various independent suppliers.
The main reason why Hugo Boss had shipped most of its production from Germany to Turkey is because of low cost of labor (Turkey isn’t really a developed country), its proximity to the European market (where Hugo Boss makes most of its sales) and most importantly, because it’s a member of the EUCU (European Union Customs Union) which allows it to export products from that country to the EU market WITHOUT paying ANY import duties. For example, if Hugo Boss were to import a million suits from Turkey to Germany THEY WOULDN’T have to pay tens of millions of Euros in import duties. On the other hand, if they were to import a million of their jackets from say India…THEY WOULD’VE. I don’t know about you, but I HATE paying import duties. So does Hugo Boss!
Makes sense, does it 🙂 ?
Read: How to SPOT A FAKE Hugo Boss Suit/Blazer
Is Hugo Boss Made in Italy?
Yes, many Hugo Boss products are made in Italy in -house in Morrovalle and by various independent suppliers.
For the most part, Italian-made Hugo Boss products are ties, pocket squares and leather products (mostly belts and shoes) from all current (HUGO, BOSS, Tailored) and discontinued (Baldessarini) lines. Also, it’s important to note that some of the more expensive suits, blazers and sport coats from the BOSS and Tailored lines are made from Italian wool fabrics (usually from Guabello and Cerruti) OUTSIDE Italy (and NOT IN Italy as some eBay sellers selling Hugo Boss suits believe) – the ONLY Italian made Hugo Boss suits (and leather jackets) are various vintage models from the BOSS, HUGO (I own one) and the Baldessarini lines (all of which I sold).
Read: How to Spot A GENUINE Zegna Suit
Is Hugo Boss Made in the US?
Yes, some older Hugo Boss products (suits and blazers, to be more precise) were manufactured in the US in their plant in Cleveland, Ohio. The story involving Hugo Boss’ plant in Cleveland is long and, unlike many Hollywood movies, it doesn’t have an happy end… .
In the late 00’s, in order to lower its production costs and to shorten its supply chain (there’s not a SINGLE wool mill in the US), Hugo Boss had opted to shut down the Cleveland plant and to ship the work to Turkey. Due to multi-faceted public campaign which involved even some then-sitting members of the US Senate, Hugo Boss was forced to put its plans on hold until 2015 when it sold the plant to Keystone Tailored Manufacturing, a subsidiary of the W Diamond Group.
Unfortunately, W Diamond closed down the Cleveland plant for good in 2019 because it, according to Keystone Tailored Manufacturing President Kenneth Ragland, competed against companies with which it couldn’t win.
Read: The ULTIMATE Guide to Ralph Lauren Lines in the Milky Way
Is Hugo Boss Made in China?
Almost every fashion brand manufactures something in China and Hugo Boss is no exception. From what I’ve seen, most Hugo boss product that are coming out of China are shirts, sweaters, shoes and even suits (I’ve seen one in a thrift store and yes, it was genuine). All of them are made by various independent suppliers.
But…things seem to be changing.
Despite the growing importance of the Chinese market in the global economy, it seems that Hugo Boss had begun to ship its production from China to other Asian countries (mostly to Vietnam and Bangladesh) due to … :
(1) … increasing labor costs. The only ways to offset them is to lower the quality of its products (which would ruin its reputation), increase the price of its products (making its products less competitive on the market) or to ship production to a country where the labor costs are lower than in China. Hugo Boss opted for the last (and best) option, as many other fashion companies (like Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger and many others) did.
(2) … deteriorating relation with the collective West (especially the US), which may lead to another cold war. And for a fashion brand like Hugo Boss…war isn’t good for business (it’d be if it was still selling uniforms – a niche they left in 1945)!
Read: Where Are Ralph Lauren Clothes Made? In the US? Or Perhaps in China?
Is Hugo Boss Made in Bangladesh?
Yes, Hugo Boss makes a lot of its products in Bangladesh – mostly shirts and sportswear.
Over the last two decades, a lot of fashion companies (like Hugo Boss) have been manufacturing an ever increasing number of their products in Bangladesh (the world’s second largest clothing suppliers after China) because… :
(1) … of low labor costs – they’re much lower in Bangladesh than they are in China and fashion companies loooove that because their products will be cheaper (and thus more competitive) on the market. Also… their profits margins will be bigger, which will make the shareholders very, VERY happy!
(2) … it has a developed infrastructure built over the last few decades that can support a large-scale production of clothing.
(3) … it has decent relations with most of the countries in the collective West despite being dependent and politically close with China and Russia (Bangladesh is a prospective member of BRICS).
Read: The DEFINITE Guide to ALL Canali Lines
Is Hugo Boss Made in Vietnam, Croatia, Bulgaria…?
Besides Turkey, China and Bangladesh, a significant amount of Hugo Boss products are made in a variety of other countries by various independent suppliers, big and small. In order to not to overcomplicate things (a habit that I’m trying my best to get rid of 🙂 ) I’ll list those countries and what is being made there.
Bosnia and Herzegovina – suits, blazers and sport coats (for a long time they were made by Borac Travnik, but that company went out of business).
Bulgaria – suits, blazers and sport coats. In the picture above you can see me wearing a BOSS blazer that was made in this country.
Croatia – suits, blazers and sport coats (they’re made by Varteks).
Dominican Republic – coats (for the markets in the Western hemisphere).
Egypt – suits (I sold one a few years ago).
India – leather jackets (I sold one a few years ago).
Peru – polo shirts (for the markets in the Western hemisphere).
Romania – jeans and coats (I own one of each).
Serbia – suits, blazers and sport coats.
Slovenia – suits, blazers and sport coats (they were made by Mura, which went out business but eventually recovered) – the articles I linked to are in Croatian so use Google translate (or some of its equivalent) if you want to read them.
Tunisia – jeans and some leather products from the HUGO line.
Thailand – sportswear.
Sri Lanka – leather jackets.
Ukraine – overcoats and blazers ( two of my Hugo Boss blazers are made in that country).
Vietnam – shirts, sport shoes and sportswear.
Read: The MOST COMPREHENSIVE Guide to Corneliani Lines IN THE UNIVERSE
Where are Hugo Boss Glasses and Sunglasses Made?
Hugo Boss glasses and sunglasses are made by the Safilo Group S.p.A (world’s second biggest company in eyewear, right after Luxxotica) in Italy and China.
Read: 5 Reasons to Shop at Thrift Stores
Where are Hugo Boss Watches Made?
Hugo Boss watches are made by the Movado Group in China and Switzerland.
Read: The WORLD’S ULTIMATE Guide to Prada Lines
Where is Hugo Boss Perfume Made?
Hugo Boss perfumes are made by Coty (one of the world’s largest fragrance companies) in their plants in Germany, France, Spain and the US.
Read: SHOULD YOU Buy Clothes From HIGH END Brands?
Conclusion
If we take into account all the evidence presented in this article, it can be easily concluded that… :
(1) … some of the company’s higher-end and vintage products are made in Germany.
(2) … most Hugo Boss products are made outside of Germany – mostly in Turkey.
Thank you for reading. If you’ve liked this article and want to see more like them, bookmark this site and follow me on Instagram!
Until next time.
Your man,
-Leon
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