Did Hugo Boss Outfit the Nazi's?

As every school child knows the Nazis had an eye for fine. Dressed head to toe in designer couture, dripping with swag. Gold brocaded chains. Ankle length leather coats, thigh high riding boots.

Tyranny with style. Equal parts fab and fa – genocide. And who paved the way for fabulous fall of morality? Naturally Hugo Boss. Decker out of men in average quality suits masquerading as bespoke suits for 85 spotless years … and 12 not so spotless years.

Today Hugo Boss makes nearly three billion Euros a year out of over 1000 stores world wide.

Founded in 1923 by 38 years old Hugo Ferdinand Boss and two partners. Initially the brand was not a luxury brand, producing affordable office wear and work wear. The company went bankrupt in 1931. Boss would join the NSDAP that same year as member 508’ 889.

With the Nazi’s seizing of control in 1933. Boss’ fortunes shifted. And from a small factory producing cheap work wear Boss would be placed in charge of the entire look of the Nazis. Culminating in the infamous ankle length leather coats of the SS.

Wait what?

Boss at this point is 48. And has 0 experience with design. His entire experience with design is running a work wear factory into the ground in 1923. Why the hell would a state take some nobody and hand over their entire look to him?

I have a friend who produces small solar panels for battery packs. Guys a genius. Sun slice solar look them up. But if I found out he had suddenly been given control over the design of Belgium's solar power network I would have questions. Like What? And why? And How?

The simple answer is that Boss didn’t. In fact Boss had zero role in designing anything for the Nazis. Despite the modern success of the company Hugo Boss was never an overly successful businessman.

Boss was a bankrupt industrialist. Who under the Nazi’s would became a successful minor industrialist. However at the time Hugo Boss was not a fashion brand. And so in 1933 Boss along with numerous other factories were awarded government contracts to produce garments for the army.

The actual designers of the Nazi’s uniforms were artists and long-term Nazis: Karl Diebitsch and Walter Heck. These designs were then given to Boss and other factories to produce.

The myth of Hugo Boss seems to be born from a misunderstanding of historical photos as well as some doctored ones.

Some of the best-known photo’s of Heinrich Himmler are of him in a Boss produced trench coat.

However, production and design are two very different fields. When you’re showing off your new Nikes. Do you call them Nikes or do you call them the name of the sweatshop that produced them?

Boss had no role in designing producing commission or owning of the uniforms he made in any way shape or form.

And no one really cared Hugo Boss. Though his fortunes changed dramatically during the war. He was still a minor industrialist. Who if his subsequent company hadn’t gone global no one would remember. Just like the other factories who produced the exact same uniforms.

Of course there is still the issue of him being a member of the Nazi party. However under Nazi rule it was almost impossible not to be a member of the party.

Like the Chinese communist party today that has 100 million members, if you wanted to do… just about anything you had to join the party.

So did Hugo Boss do anything worse?

As with many industrialists Hugo Boss was more than happy to use slave labor. Using 140 French and Polish prisoners as forced labour.

He was also extremely into Nazisim and following the war was initially labelled a major backer losing the right to vote and being driven into bankruptcy… however he successfully appealed and was labelled as a follower.

A follower of course naturally!! … A follower who joined while they were still a weird fringe cult… A follower who funded and promoted Nazism extensively… a follower who joined every volunteer brigade he could… and who volunteered to produce SS and SA uniforms… and who voluntarily became a Förderndes Mitglied, a sponsoring member of the SS… and was important enough to be invited to a meet and greet at Obersalzberg Hitlers personal holiday home… and like… he only officially joined the party in 1931 but he was probably affliated with them from 1928. And personally claimed to have produced uniforms for them in 1924… back when the entire party was 6 drunken idiots in a Munich beer hall.

But let’s not forget. We, we can’t hold historical figures to modern concepts of morality. After all, everyone in the 1940’s was using slave labour! And we can’t hold these people to our modern standards. That is why they are all completely blameless and we. Need to stop harping on about George Washington and his slaves…

Hang on…

Shuffle papers…

Anyway moving on.

Personally I’ve always hated that argument. Because if the only thing keeping you from commiting evil deeds are consequences…. You’re just an evil person.

In 1940’s Germany like in 18th century American and every other period were slavery was common. People with a conscience… get this… didn’t enslave other people… or when they did worked to free them.

Oskar Schindler was in the same position as Boss. He was actually a far more successful and major industrialist. And Jewish slave labour would catapult him into the German upper classes. And he risked and spent everything to save people once he came face to face with the evils of the third reich.

Of course the difference is Schindler died a penniless broke businessman living off the care packages of the families he saved.

While Hugo Boss died, wealthy and still owning factories, his son turning the company into the behemoth it is today.

But don’t worry! The brand Hugo Boss (the one named after the very active Nazi) apologised for the slave labour in 2011! … I mean only after a group of holocaust survivors took them to court but still! … Progress!

Anyway. History is confusing.

The story of the Boss brand is far less tainted than popular myth generally portrays and the story of Hugo Boss the man is far less tainted than it deserves to be.

But that’s life for you.

[This article is a modified version of the Historical Hysteria episode of the same name which can be found here: anchor.fm/historicalhysteria ]