Hugo Returns In Singapore

After a six-year hiatus that ended last year, the Hugo line under the Hugo Boss empirehas long remained in the shadows. Here, we delve deeperinto its return as the German brand opens its first standalone boutique in Singapore.

- Kames Narayanan

A few years ago, the fashion industry’s retail model underwent a shake up when luxury behemoths, the likes of Marc Jacobs, Dolce & Gabbana and Burberry, shuttered their diffusion lines. It signalled the end of an era where fashion houses banked on their subsidiaries to diversify their product ranges and in turn, reach out to a wider consumer demographic.

With an influx of mid-tier luxury offerings and burgeoning collaborations between designers and high street establishments, diffusion lines inherently faded into the background. “These newcomers have bigger volumes of production (and therefore, can have more competitive prices), very fast product development cycles (which means they can be closer to the latest fashion cycles), and can sustain mono-brand stores, given their wider product offer,” said Mario Ortelli, (then) senior vice president of European luxury at Bernstein, a financial services firm, in an interview with Business of Fashion in 2015.

While the industry may have previously ruled out the viability of subsidiary lines, today, opportunities are to be found in a conceivable gap between high-end luxury and the high street. Even with crossovers between the two through designer collaboration, there remains space for a permanent filler.

Approaching secondary lines with the monumental importance granted to a main line remains key in driving a house forward. “Customers are aware if a diffusion brand doesn’t have integrity, and the collection is just really a money earner on the side,” said Lydia King, buying and merchandising director for Self ridges in a 2014 interview with the Business of Fashion.