EXCLUSIVE: Hugo Boss to Create Co-branded Collections With NBA
Hugo Boss is serious about changing the perception that it is strictly a men’s suit brand and it’s teaming with the National Basketball Association to drive that point home.
In anticipation of the kickoff of the NBA’s 2020-21 season on Dec. 22, the Metzingen, Germany-based brand will reveal it is collaborating with the league on two co-branded capsule collections, the first of which will launch in February for spring.
The initial collection will feature shorts, sweatpants, long- and short-sleeve T-shirts and hoodies that will sport the NBA logo as well as the logos for nine teams: the New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets, Los Angeles Lakers, L.A. Clippers, Miami Heat, Chicago Bulls, Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets and Toronto Raptors.
“The NBA has put basketball on the world map of international sports, making it a global cultural phenomenon,” said Ingo Wilts, chief brand officer for Hugo Boss AG. “The collaboration is therefore an exciting opportunity for Boss to strengthen our brand awareness, especially among U.S. customers. In addition, it emphasizes our ambition to continuously expand the share of casualwear in our collections in the years to come.”
The spring collection will be available in North and South American exclusively at Boss stores and online as well as select retail partners such as Bloomingdale’s and Nordstrom. A second collection for fall will launch in October and distribution will be expanded into Europe as well.
Boss said to promote the partnership, “a high-profile NBA sports talent” will be featured in the upcoming campaign, which will launch in February when the line debuts. No further details were provided. However, the merchandising in stores and in the upcoming campaign will highlight the NBA pieces alongside Boss’ jersey suits, bombers and Harrington jackets, trousers and cotton trenchcoat to further emphasize its lifestyle offerings.
The NBA has long been known for its propensity for fashion with the players dressing to the nines for their tunnel walks into arenas in looks that soon become Instagram moments. Perhaps the highest profile collaboration came in 2018 when Thom Browne partnered with LeBron James to create matching skinny gray suits for the NBA star’s entire team before NBA Playoffs. And earlier this week, Kith partnered with Nike and the Knicks to redesign the team’s City Edition uniforms for the season that will include an apparel and footwear collection for fans.
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