On the final day of an unforgettable fashion week in Milan, Ingo Wilts presented BOSS’s future-focused Fall/Winter 2020 runway show. Ahead of what we now know was to come, the chief brand officer had already planned to create a safe and calm space for the show to unfold and guests to absorb the collection. As the stylish crowd settled into the lilac-coloured show space inside the Social Music City venue, a live orchestra performed “Down to Earth”, composed by Henri Scars Struck. Following the show, Wilts noted that he had “wanted something very emotional for the location and the music. Outside, we have so much drama in the world—I wanted people to come here and take these 10 minutes of beauty and think about themselves while seeing a beautiful collection passing by.”
The inspiration for the collection, entitled “Generations”, came from archetypal projects at BOSS, the 1970s and 1980s campaigns with Michael Flinn, together with fashion references from the 1920s, when designers worked with a lot of fringe. Ingo Wilts explained that the brand is “drawing on years of expertise, particularly in tailoring and our iconic silhouettes, to create a fresh and modern aesthetic for a new era.” The subsequent campaign featured 10 up-and-coming models to further showcase the “Generations” theme behind the collection.
Fall tailoring set in autumnal hues was contrasted with unexpected new colours like the BOSS Fall/Winter 2020 showstopper “Heather.” The lavender tone made its mark in full monochromatic looks and spread throughout the collection, paired with BOSS staples beige, black, and navy. Showing more pattern than usual, BOSS merged workmanship and digital techniques through pattern distortion, taking a landscape or animal print and forming it into abstract detailing. “For me, it wasn’t that we didn’t have a lot of prints in the collection—it was more about technique. The print was inspired by zebra print, but I didn’t want zebra because BOSS is not animal print. We manipulated the zebra and made bigger and smaller changes, and then came up with the stitching technique,” said Wilts.
Ultra-modern suits, oversized outerwear, and contemporary styles show that the masters of tailoring are evolving the brand’s signature silhouettes. “Craft is very important to us, and so is innovation. This season, we were able to bring the two together with some beautiful fabrics and finishes that draw upon both hand-work- manship and digital techniques,” said Wilts. “Designs for women and men seamlessly merge our established brand codes with a spirit of continual innovation.” Taking a step forward, as an overall theme, extends internally for BOSS to the production of garments and the increasing importance of sustainability, as well as a commitment to environmental and climate protection, human rights, and labour rights. It is important to evolve as a brand as the world around changes, and it is evident that BOSS continues to do so, and that Ingo Wilts is keeping up with the times.