16. The Nazis Gave Hugo Boss His Big Break
There was a time when it seemed that no yuppie was cool unless his wardrobe contained Hugo Boss shirts, suits, socks, sunglasses, cologne, and man-thongs. Less cool was the history of the company’s founder, fashion designer Hugo Ferdinand Boss (1885 – 1948). He was an enthusiastic Nazi who devoted his talents to making Hitler’s evil goons look as snazzy as possible. He established a textile factory as a family-run business in 1923, and one of his early big contracts was to supply uniforms to the Nazi party’s SA storm troopers, or Brown Shirts.
He eventually joined the party, and when the Nazis took power in 1933 Boss, as an active party member and enthusiastic supporter, was on the inside track when the new regime awarded clothing contracts. Before long, Hugo Boss’ production orders expanded from Brown Shirts’ uniforms to include the SS’ black outfits, and the black-and-brown uniforms of the Hitler Youth. Production continued and expanded during WWII. By then, Hugo Boss had contracts to outfit the SS, SA, Hitler Youth, German rail workers, postal employees, as well as the German army, navy, and air force.
