The Nazi Past of The Fashion Mogul: Hugo Boss

The Nazi uniforms made by Hugo Boss - (Source - History in Pictures/Twitter).

The period of Nazi Germany was one of the darkest chapters in modern history, yet they had one of the most prevailing economies on the planet at the time. A multitude of businesses within Germany and around the world were more than willing to work with and for the Nazis, and many are extremely successful to this day.

Capitalism supported fascism without discrimination, from both a political and economical standpoint, and reaped huge profits. These profits came from construction, transportation, manufacturing, slave labour, intelligence gathering, deportation, experimentation in concentration camps, and extermination - just to mention a few.

Many corporations still in existence today, were directly associated with the Nazis. Their collaboration is well documented as is their knowledgeable participation in the systemic persecution and murder of six million Jews. Among these companies, some stand out in particular.

Advertisement from Hugo Boss, claiming to be a supplier of uniforms for the N.S.D.A.P., the Nazi Party, since 1924. (Source: Wikimedia Commons).

The Nazi past of the German fashion company Hugo Ferdinand Boss (known as just Hugo Boss) is a well-known but controversial aspect of its history. During the 1930s and 1940s, the company was closely associated with the Nazi Party.

Hugo Boss was personally an active member of the Nazi Party and donated money to the SS (Schutzstaffel). He started the company in 1923, and one of his earliest contracts was with the N.S.D.A.P. (Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei). He secured the right to make the uniforms for the SS, the Hitler Youth and the Brown Shirts (Sturmabteilung).

The personal membership card of Hugo Boss. (Source: Wikimedia Commons).

Hugo Boss' association with the Nazi regime ensured the company’s ability to survive and thrive. The company also benefited from the Nazi's policy of promoting German-made products, which gave it an advantage over its competitors.

Boss’s annual take in 1936 was 200.000 mark, which by 1940 had increased to about 1.000.000 mark - the same year that the company began using the inmates in the concentration camps for slave labour. This enabled them to meet the high demand, at a very low cost.

After WWII ended, Hugo Boss was fined the sum of a mere 100.000 mark. He was “de-Nazified” and lost the right to vote and run his company. Boss appealed this judgment to the courts and was subsequently declassified as a “follower” rather than a “promoter” of Nazism.

In order to distance itself from its past, the company changed its name and focused on producing civilian clothing. Despite these efforts, the company's Nazi past continued to be a source of controversy in the post-war period.

In recent years, there have been calls for the company to address its Nazi past and to make amends for its association with the Nazi regime. In 2011, the company issued a public apology, acknowledging its role in producing Nazi uniforms and expressing regret for its association with the regime. The company also established a research project to examine its history and to shed light on its association with the Nazi regime.

The Nazi past of Hugo Boss is a dark chapter in the company's history that has had a lasting impact on its reputation. Although the company has taken some steps to address its past, it continues to be criticized. It is important for the company to acknowledge its role in the Nazi regime and to learn from its history in order to avoid similar associations in the future.

Boss died in 1948, but his company lives on. In 2022 the company's revenue was over 3 billion USD - with a net profit of nearly 300 million USD.