Hugo Boss: Europe's largest menswear manufacturer

The mention of Hugo Boss (Hugo Boss), I believe no one does not know that it is one of the most well-known international brands. Recently, the reporter visited the largest menswear manufacturer in Europe. Walking in the factory area in the town of Metzingen in southern Germany, the reporter seems to have come to a modern glass art gallery.

Hugo Boss clothing store in Metzingen, Germany

Workshop coat pockets require 20 processes

Accompanied by Dr. Niles, the reporter first came to the fabric department and was soon attracted by the latest fabrics. The technician introduced to the reporter a clothing fabric that has been treated with nanotechnology. The fabric has special features such as self-cleaning and comfort. The side of the ironing fabric, not only has the ability to wrinkle, but also "memory" durability, environmental protection, good warmth and other functions.

These fabrics are from Hugo Boss fabrics laboratory. Dr. Niles said that the company insists on investing 5% of its annual sales proceeds into technology development. So far it has had nearly 1,000 patents. For example, some consumers report that smokers have unpleasant odors on their clothes. The company’s research institutes have developed special fabrics to let the smoke taste disappear; generally, formal wear will have a “hard” feel and the company will develop garments. The three-layer technology, outer, middle and inner layers are made of different materials; in addition, new fibers such as hybrid fibers and conductive fibers have also become research topics.

In the production workshop, reporters could not hear the rumbling of the machine, and they could not see the rows of workers in domestic clothing companies stepping on the sewing machine. According to Dr. Niles, at present, only the most important departments are left at the German headquarters, and basic processes such as sewing have been outsourced to Eastern European companies.

The reporter saw that Hugo Bosch's suit model center and CAD system can make the sample layout accurate to within 2 mm, and there are also German sewing machines with higher precision than atomic bombs. "So, professional garment technicians are seen here as the soul of the product development and production process."

Senior technologist Shultz told reporters that a Boss suit must be made through more than 300 processes such as plate making, nano lining and cutting. Among them, 30 to 40 processes are the most basic and the most important ones. The pros and cons of the suits are also here. It takes a week to make a suit, and there are more than 20 steps in a coat pocket only. The reporter picked up a set to wear on the body. Although the fabric weighed about 1.5 kilograms, it felt as light as wearing a shirt.

A BOSS store on the streets of Berlin

Design Chinese clothing lacks "invisible beauty"

At present, Hugo Boss has 3 brands: BOSS, HUGO and BALDESSARINI. “We have broken the general routines designed by general clothing companies according to consumers' ages, occupations, etc., and designed them according to different lifestyles,” said Razfeld, a famous German clothing designer at Hugo Bosch.

The Boss brand's design orientation is oriented to urban white-collar workers. It is divided into 3 different colors of logos, representing different life needs: the black label series mainly consisting of formal wear, the orange standard series mainly consisting of sports and casual wear, and the outdoor functional clothing. The main green standard series. The Hugo brand aims at "innovators", designs avant-garde fashion, and uses new fabrics to make clothing. The Baldessarini brand is an upscale and sophisticated suit collection. For the successful people, the best quality fabrics are used and the production is the most sophisticated.

According to the reporter's observation, Hugo Bosch's design style is based on the traditional image of Europe, with a deep German sentiment. Dr. Andrei, who is head of the German clothing magazine in the same industry, analyzed that Hugo Boss's front logo was used in all three Hugo Boss clothing brands. As long as any one of these brands is mentioned, people naturally think of other products of the company. Improve the income of watches, ties, perfumes and other products.

Razzelfeld made a few comments on Chinese costume design. He believes that Chinese fashion designers are too exposed because of their excessive desire to express their “display” consciousness, but they lack an “invisible beauty”. Razfeld said that as long as the Chinese garment industry combines five thousand years of cultural heritage, as the dominant clothing culture, it will be able to become the center of the world's costume culture.

Sales are rather unwilling to downgrade

After more than 10 inspections, Hugo Boss clothing will finally face the seller. Today, the company has more than 550 stores in more than 100 countries and has also been named the “most trusted brand” in the fashion industry.

When talking about sales experience, Dr. Gui Duo, the company's sales expert, said that “quick success and short-term profits only result in short-lived brands, and brands cannot be created by advertising.” Therefore, they sell Hugo Boss’ costume culture to consumers around the world. For example, in the major fabric exhibitions and clothing exhibitions in Europe, the company’s brand culture was vigorously promoted to create fashion, and the products were promptly withdrawn from some retailers that were not suitable for the latest popular image and would rather suffer losses than make brands. Downgrade.

Dr. Guido said that last year was another development year for Hugo Boss. When other companies are reducing their staff, their employees have increased by more than 1,000. Women's clothing was once the boss of Boston, but it has grown at a rate of 40% per year over the past three years. At present, business income from European countries accounts for 72% of total revenue. "I believe that the proportion of other areas will increase to 50% in a few years," said Dr. Niles.

China is an "adversary" and a "big customer"

One of every four garments sold in Germany is made in China. So, does Hugo Boss treat Chinese apparel companies as competitors?

“China is both a competitor and an important customer,” Bruno Salz, chairman of the company, confidently said. “The Chinese market has always been the most encouraging part of our global strategy. Our fashion is extremely popular in China. In 30 major cities such as Shanghai, Beijing, and Guangzhou, Hugo Bosch already has nearly 60 stores and will exceed 100 in four years, and soon China will surpass Japan to become Hugo Boss Fashion. The second largest destination country for exports."

Salz also pointed out that the EU's restrictions on Chinese textile exports are not conducive to common development. The clothing companies including Hugo Boss imported China's high-quality, inexpensive yarns and fabrics to make garments exported to China. This is the need for international division of labor. China has already formed a mature production supply chain with a large number of skilled workers. Moreover, China itself is a raw material production country, and can achieve one-stop rapid production and quality control.

Salz believes that for the competition from the Chinese clothing industry, foreign companies should make structural adjustments by improving product quality, developing new products, and setting up factories abroad.

Hugo Boss is creating clothing

Hugo Boss originated in Germany and is one of the world’s most famous suit manufacturers and distributors. It has 3 brand series: Boss, Hugo and Baldessarini.

In 1923, Hugo Bosch established a Hugo Boss brand under his own name in a town called Mei Qinggen, more than 30 kilometers south of Stuttgart, Germany. In the early days, mainly raincoats, overalls, and uniforms were used. In the 1960s, high-end garments began to be launched. Inspired by the French brand Pierre Cardin, for the middle-class white-collar workers in Germany, the production of moderately priced clothing was affirmed by the market and the popularity was extended throughout Europe.

In 1972, Hugo Boss stepped into the high-end fashion industry.

Hugo Bosch's design is introverted and elegant, with no details of hypocritical and extra accessories, and its texture and workmanship are first class. Today, the company has grown from a small family company into an international apparel giant, and has opened specialty stores in more than 100 countries and regions around the world. It has also developed products for women's wear, eyewear, perfumes, watches, shoes and leather goods.

European apparel industry has its own "home-based skills"

The same suit, the price of European brands is more than 20 times higher. Where does the confidence of European high-end apparel companies come from? Professor Te Pfeiffer, an expert from the German Garment Research Center, briefed reporters on the “watching skills” of the European garment industry.

In recent years, German textile companies have become leaders in the field of high-tech textiles through business adjustments and increased R&D. Due to occupying the market space, the impact of the global downturn in the apparel industry is relatively small and has become a model of success in the European garment industry.

Similarly, France, Spain and other countries are also innovating. Many companies not only produce clothing such as anti-wrinkle suits, cold-resistant and heat-insulating fibers, but also medical fabrics, fire fighting clothing, road and house protection layers, and automotive and aircraft seats. In the case of a significant reduction in the number of traditional fabrics, the fabrics have been transformed by innovative fabrics.

The Nordic clothing industry is taking another road. They have three models of textile and apparel companies, brand marketing companies, and brand retail companies, and then conduct full production or OEM production through outsourcing or through external procurement.

The Eastern European garment industry benefits from low wages and skilled workers and is known as the "European sewing workshop." In addition, Russia has become a market in which many Western European garment companies compete to open up, because Russians spend 1/3 of their income on clothes, while Western Europeans spend only about 10%.