Hugo by Hugo Boss celebrates its 20th anniversary

At Berlin Fashion Week last week, an abandoned factory was the dramatic setting for the 20th birthday bash of Hugo by Hugo Boss. Formerly a hub where painters, carpenters, metalworkers and sculptors crafted sets for Berlin’s opera houses, the Opernwerkstätten’s vast industrial halls housed the label’s A/W 2013 runway presentation and buzzing after-party.

At the helm of the capsule brand from Hugo Boss are designers Eyan Allen and Bart De Backer. Centred on the theme of reflection, the duo presented a meticulously considered collection that belied the line’s youth, featuring sharp, futuristic and almost entirely symmetrical silhouettes.

On the men’s side, De Backer opted for a conservative approach, with minimal suits that only deviated from their cleanliness in luxe detailing like leather lapels and patchwork shoulders.

If Allen’s portion of the presentation mirrored De Backer’s in its clean structure and smart tailoring, the similarities ended there. The Hugo woman, although as elegant as her male counterpart, is decidedly edgier with plunging necklines and geometric cutaways. Both designers adhered to a relatively muted palette of black and camel, however, peppered throughout with Hugo’s signature piquant red.

Initially introduced as a menswear line, Hugo was first launched in 1993, growing quickly to include womenswear. The output of Hugo is decidedly more experimental and avant-garde than its sibling lines at the German fashion house and has propelled to new heights since Allen and De Backer took over. Bravo boys, here’s to another 20 years...