Hugo Boss has found its female muse as it works to extend its reach with women.
The German fashion brand is partnering with supermodel and entrepreneur Naomi Campbell on a special capsule collection launching Thursday targeted to a contemporary, sophisticated traveler. Called Naomi x Boss, the 44-piece line features essentials in modern silhouettes with the brand’s signature tailoring, along with outerwear, pieces created from custom technical fabrics, leisure styles and footwear.
Key pieces include a double-breasted, pin-striped gray suit in stretch wool with a wrinkle-free finish and a sleek black jacket with a shawl collar paired with a crisp white shirt and coordinating leggings in a custom stretch fabric. A classic trench has been updated through the use of an allover leopard print, embossed details and a water-repellent finish. There’s also an oversize, leopard-print tracksuit in a jersey.
Fabrics range from cashmere and cupro to jerseys and the color palette includes a bold purple to complement the black, white and almond.
The collection will retail for $78 to $895.
“You’ll find pieces in the collection that are versatile and comfortable,” Campbell said. “These are the kinds of pieces that reflect my own lifestyle — always on the move, always ready for the next adventure, but never compromising on style. Today’s woman has a million things on her plate, and the last thing she needs to worry about is her outfit, especially when she’s on the move.”
Marco Falcioni, senior vice president of creative direction for Hugo Boss, said the brand’s relationship with Campbell started with the winter 2022 collection, when she was featured in the campaign and also opened the runway show.
He said she’s been a fan of the brand for a while and when the management team was looking for a strong character to front its women’s collection, it was “obvious to go to Naomi. She is powerful, she has a real vibe and an opinion — and she loves our product.”
As they first started to brainstorm about the collection, Campbell was quick to say that because she is constantly flying around the world, she’s looking for clothes that don’t crease and will look sharp when she gets off the plane.
She charged Hugo Boss with finding the right fabrics and treatments to make her dream a reality, Falcioni said.
Naomi Campbell for Hugo Boss Spring 2024
Courtesy of Hugo Boss
“Everyone knows I’m a bit of a germaphobe, so of course we’ve added anti-bacterial properties to ensure freshness and cleanliness,” Campbell said. “There’s also an anti-crease feature, which means you can be on the move without worrying about wrinkles. There are de-stress properties in the fabric as well.”
Falcioni said Campbell also asked the brand to help her find more stylish, yet effective compression socks. “She had these ugly travel medical socks that were really horrible,” he said. “It was a major challenge for us to make them fashionable.” But they succeeded, he believes, and used the fabrics in not only socks but the catsuit, leggings, culotte, socks, shorts and T-shirts in the line.
Falcioni said that although he’s worked with a lot of celebrities during his career, Campbell “had the most opinions — she knew what she wanted.” That included the color palette. In addition to the traditional black, white and almond, the line features purple, which she referred to as “Prince,” in homage to the former “Purple Rain” singer. “So we called it Prince instead of purple,” he said.
To introduce the collection, Campbell will be featured in a campaign shot by Mikael Jansson under the creative direction of Trey Laird and his agency Team Laird, and styled by Jenke Ahmed Tailly. Georgia Palmer and Alton Mason are featured in the campaign along with Campbell.
The images will be used online as well as for window displays and digital screens in Boss stores — some of which will host special events to celebrate the launch — as well as outdoor advertising in major cities such as New York and London.
Falcioni said Campbell has been featured in three previous campaigns, but this one is special. “She’s also a business partner, not just a model,” he said.
The introduction of the capsule is intended to increase the focus on Boss’ women’s business. The category accounted for about 73 million euros of sales in the third quarter of last year and the plan is to increase that figure to about 500 million euros, or about 10 percent of sales, by 2025.
Falcioni believes Campbell will help them reach that goal.
Naomi Campbell for Hugo Boss Spring 2024
Courtesy of Hugo Boss
“She’s a fashion icon and a philanthropist for the Black and LGBTQ+ communities,” he said. “And women’s empowerment is very important to Naomi. She’s 53 but the people who connect with her the most are under 30.”
On a personal note, Falcioni said working with Campbell on the collection and the shoot was fun. “She’s always late, but that’s Naomi Campbell,” he said. “She also makes sure everyone has lunch, drinks — she really cares about the vibe in the room.”