Hugo Ferdinand Boss

Hugo Boss was a German fashion designer and businessman, best known as the founder of the German clothing brand named ‘Hugo Boss AG.’ He was also a member of the ‘Nazi Party’ and remained loyal to it throughout the party’s existence, until the end of the Second World War. Born and raised in Metzingen, Germany, he was the youngest of five children. He did an apprenticeship as a merchant when he was a teenager. He finished his 2 years of military service in the early 1900s, and following its completion, he began working at a weaving mill. Eventually, he took over his family business of selling lingerie. At the outbreak of World War I, he was mobilized into the German army. Hugo, a staunch nationalist, joined the ‘Nazi Party’ in 1931, just 2 years before Hitler came into power. Prior to that, however, he had started his own fashion company called ‘Hugo Boss AG’ in 1923. He was the main supplier and designer of the wartime uniforms of the ‘Nazi Party’ members. However, following the war, he was stripped of his voting rights and his ability to run the business, owing to his association with the ‘Nazis.’ Hence, his son-in-law took over as the owner of the company. Hugo died in 1948, at the age of 63.