Why don't people at SF like Hugo Boss?

For some of us who got suckered into being label whores before our SF awakening...Hugo Boss had a well marketed reputation for producing "higher end" suits. They bombard men's magazines for decades and for many of the people I socially interact with...Hugo Boss is considered a respected suit maker...a step below Armani. Since most people don't know better, seeing celebrities wear these clothes, seeing them offered at special retail stores and seeing the heavy advertising leads many into feeding into the sales marketing strategies for the owners of Hugo Boss

Once one understands how a suit is made and how other companies...and more importantly, bespoke tailors produce a far superior made and fitted item...then the allure of Hugo Boss disappears

I once wanted a Hugo Boss suit. Now, I do not desire it

My transformation is typical of why folks at SF care little for Hugo Boss

I now have multiple bespoke tailors, a bespoke shirtmaker, a bespoke and MTO shoemaker...thanks to SF

Otherwise, before SF, I might have digressed into being suckered into paying high retail for Hugo Boss suits, shirts and shoes...just so that I can be a mindless LABEL WHORE worshipping Hugo Boss client

Style Forum has helped focus and sharpen my tastes for men's clothing. I'm sure there are some forumites who find for the price they pay, some Hugo Boss suits look good on them and fit well. I am not one of them and NEVER WILL BE

Originally Posted by politico

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Brioni, Canali, and Ralph Lauren are not worth their pricepoints, and have the same, if not worse markup than anything you can grab from Hugo Boss, you just get the smug sense of superiority over the unwashed Nordstroms shopping masses with your $3000 off the rack Brioni which has a markup 3x that of Hugo Boss.

In BOSS Black, I own (pre SF purchases): -6 dress shirts -3 suits (yes fused) -6 sport jackets (3 canvassed - 3 fused) -6 pair of shoes (dress or dress casual) -1 topcoat In BOSS Green & Orange Labels: -1 bathing suit -4 pr pants -4 casual collared shirts -1 denim jacket I have never had a single problem with any of my purchases with one exception... an issue with one pair of the shoes which was easily fixed by my cobbler. Now I agree 100% that a fully canvassed suit is superior, and that retail is over-priced because of the designer name (like all other designer names) no arguments. I also agree that, dollar for dollar, there are far better choices than Hugo Boss. There are better choices for almost every other make too. That said, I still have not regretted my purchases, probably because I have had no issues to complain about. A friend of mine bought one of their raincoats (fused) and it bubbled all over. I saw this coat and it looked like some disease-ridden alien skin, the bubbling was so bad. For that, I felt bad for my friend. This leads me to conclude that it is 'hit or miss' with Boss product. Will I buy more Hugo BOSS in the future? Probably not now since SF (and other sites) have certainly educated me to far better makes. If you can pick up some BOSS on the cheap, you aren't wasting your money.

Boss suits at good discount/sale prices (fused or not) could be worth having - in my experience the cut is markedly different from Italian brands, and if it flatters your body shape, then why not.

Agree that sometimes Boss can be a bit fashion forward & so date quicker than say Armani, but the same could be said of many more expensive brands (e.g. a nice Zegna db suit I own is not currently wearable unless going to an '80s themed fancy dress party).

Originally Posted by Champagnelifestylenomoney

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Boss suits at good discount/sale prices (fused or not) could be worth having - in my experience the cut is markedly different from Italian brands, and if it flatters your body shape, then why not.
agreed. I bought mine from Nordstrom Rack for $300. besides, I don't wear a suit enough to warrant spending $1000-1500 on a bespoke or some higher-end name brand all in the name of fashion. If I were walking down the street no one would give 2 ***** if I were wearing a Canali or Oxxford suit let alone Hugo Boss.

Originally Posted by Michael Ay329

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I now have multiple bespoke tailors, a bespoke shirtmaker, a bespoke and MTO shoemaker...thanks to SF

Otherwise, before SF, I might have digressed into being suckered into paying high retail for Hugo Boss suits, shirts and shoes...just so that I can be a mindless LABEL WHORE worshipping Hugo Boss client

I can see how bespoke products would be superior to Hugo Boss products. However, do you not pay considerably more for these products?

Why is the Nazi thing a joke? I very much like some of the Bruno Pieters designed Boss items but I would never buy from the brand precisely because of the Nazi legacy.

Originally Posted by Ich_Dien

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Looking good, why dont you post that in WAYWN?
(that was Fritz, not me).

Originally Posted by politico

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Good eye, for a relentless brand whoring site like this one, take an eye to self reflection.

SF posters fancy themselves above the "fashion" brands like Boss, Gucci, or something of the sort, while at the same time throwing themselves at the altar of the SF approved brands.

Brioni, Canali, and Ralph Lauren are not worth their pricepoints, and have the same, if not worse markup than anything you can grab from Hugo Boss, you just get the smug sense of superiority over the unwashed Nordstroms shopping masses with your $3000 off the rack Brioni which has a markup 3x that of Hugo Boss.

You're reaching with this one. Based on the lack of quality produced HB I would say they're the ones putting a large markup on their clothing.

When i was somewhat new to dress clothes I bought 3 pair of Hugo Boss black label trou. They lasted all of about 3 months of wear before looking like total **** and would no longer hold a press for more then a hour or so.

Compare with my RL clothing, which has lasted years and still looks fantastic and holds a press like it did on day 1.

Originally Posted by Bentley

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I can see how bespoke products would be superior to Hugo Boss products. However, do you not pay considerably more for these products?

My bespoke shirt maker starts at $165 for a bespoke shirt

My 2 different bespoke tailor starts at $800 C.M.T. for a 3 piece suit. (Sometimes the cloth I get costs me from $300 to $1000 depending on its quality)

I have seen Hugo Boss suits sell at the Iranian owned, Italian named, fancy ateliers all over Los Angeles for over $1400. Thus my tailor is comparable in price

If I used Savile Row bespoke or other named tailors throughout the world...you are right, the price is way higher

Originally Posted by Magician

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Why is the Nazi thing a joke? I very much like some of the Bruno Pieters designed Boss items but I would never buy from the brand precisely because of the Nazi legacy.

I find others' reaction to the Nazi heritage of Hugo Boss to be a bit surprising. I'm not a Nazi and I share others' repulsion to the Nazi regime. However, as far as I know, Hugo Boss was simply a German clothing manufacturer that picked up a contract from the government that happened to be in power at the time. I don't think that this means that they supported Nazi policies and practices (unless there is more to the story than I know about).

Volkswagen was a company that was started by Hitler and the first Volkswagen was designed by Fedinand Porsche; yet, I don't think there is a public outcry against buying Volkswagens or Porsche's today.

Daimler-Benz manufactured Tiger Tanks for the German army in WWII but I believe many people proudly drive Mercedes automobiles now. Mitsubishi used to manufacture the Zero fighter plane for the Japanese during WWII but again many people across the world drive these automobiles also.

Is there something else that I'm missing regarding the Hugo Boss connection to the Nazi party?

It's a joke dude, that's what you're missing.

Originally Posted by politico

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It's a joke dude, that's what you're missing.

But every joke contains a kernel of truth. That's what makes a joke funny.

That's why people get offended by racist jokes, sexist jokes, etc. It's because the joke contains some pre-supposed truth that minorities or women are in some way inferior.

I'm searching for the kernel of truth in this joke...I don't get it.

I have two shirts (first was purchased in 2004), belt (purchased 2005), polo t-shirt (purchased 2006) and a pair of casual trousers (purchased 2006). The only problem I had with the clothing is the polo t-shirt has some paint marks.
Although price compared to construction/quality is not the best available in the UK, it is still a decent range and better then a lot of fashion brands in the same price and or quality range.

From what I gather, there may be a quality between garments made for the US and UK/Europe markets.

Originally Posted by Michael Ay329

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For some of us who got suckered into being label whores before our SF awakening...Hugo Boss had a well marketed reputation for producing "higher end" suits. They bombard men's magazines for decades and for many of the people I socially interact with...Hugo Boss is considered a respected suit maker...a step below Armani. Since most people don't know better, seeing celebrities wear these clothes, seeing them offered at special retail stores and seeing the heavy advertising leads many into feeding into the sales marketing strategies for the owners of Hugo Boss

and they still enjoy this reputation, at least in the US.

let's face it -- if you are a "suit novice" who can't be bothered to get up the steep learning curve on suit construction and smaller labels, and want to just walk into a mainstream department store that is neither a Macys nor a high-end place like Saks and get a decent suit off-the-rack at a certain price-point -- there aren't many other choices. people forget that the vast majority of the suit-buying public are considering their choices based on list price -- not on best-case discounted web prices, since it takes a certain savviness to buy stuff blind over the web.

the finer points on quality aside -- how many other readily-available brands offer a european / modern sensibility with fabrics that aren't yet another tired twist on a charcoal pinstripe at a $800 price point? hickey, varvatos, etc. are relative newcomers to this segment and are nowhere near as ubiquitous as boss,, so they are not a fair comparison point for the average buyer. in some cases, like hickey, they are more expensive and are arguably in a different segment.

as long as boss continues to offer a serviceable / mediocre but "just good enough" suit with a modern twist, with broad distribution, and at this price point, it will continue to remain unassailable.