A few years ago, a scandal erupted around the published facts about the involvement of the world famous brand "Hugo Boss" in the creation of military uniforms for soldiers and officers of the Wehrmacht. famous designer Hugo Bossa accused of complicity with the Nazis and personal ties with Hitler. The company even turned to historians for help to sort out this issue. And although the results of a scientific study disproved many of the replicated myths about the designer, the company had to admit the fact of creating the Nazi uniform and apologize for the exploitation of prisoners of war and prisoners from concentration camps in labor factories.

In those days, the name of Hugo Boss was not yet a well-known brand. He started his professional path as an employee of a garment factory in 1902. 6 years later, a textile shop was inherited from his parents, and in 1923 Hugo Boss opened his own sewing enterprise - a workshop for sewing overalls, windbreakers, overalls and raincoats for workers. In 1930, his firm was on the verge of bankruptcy. To save her from ruin, he took up sewing Wehrmacht uniforms.

Rumors that the world famous company"Hugo Boss" profited from cooperation with the Nazis, appeared in the late 1990s, stirred up society and caused a loud scandal. In 1997, the company publicly acknowledged the fact of cooperation with the Nazis. Since this negatively affected the brand image, the company sponsored Scientific research these facts, which was carried out by the Munich historian Roman Kester. In 2012 he published a book called Hugo Boss, 1924-1945. garment factory between Weimar Republic and the Third Reich”, in which he detailed the results of his research.

As it turned out, Hugo Boss was really engaged in tailoring military uniforms for the Wehrmacht and received large profits from these orders. And the factory used forced labor of 140 immigrants from Poland and 40 French prisoners. However, no written evidence the fact that Hugo Boss was Adolf Hitler's personal tailor has not been preserved. In addition, the designer did not participate in the development of sketches and the creation of patterns, and his factory was one of many, far from the largest, of all companies that were engaged in sewing uniforms.

In fact, the designer of the black SS uniform was not Hugo Boss, but Karl Diebich, a German artist, designer and officer of the SS, and the SS emblem in the form of two “Sieg” runes was designed by graphic artist Walter Heck. The black color of the uniform of SS officers was intended to evoke respect and fear, but it soon turned out that this color had a significant drawback: summer time he absorbs solar radiation and causes profuse sweating. Therefore, black was soon replaced by gray, although black continued to be used in the ceremonial uniforms of officers of the highest echelon of the SS. The factory of Hugo Boss only made uniforms designed by Karl Diebitsch.

But the fact that Hugo Boss collaborated with the Nazis not under duress, but because of personal convictions, was confirmed even by his son. In 2007, Siegfried Boss publicly admitted that his father was a member of the Nazi Party and commented on this fact: “ And who was not a member at that time? The whole industry worked for the Nazis". Back in 1931, the designer voluntarily joined the National Socialist Workers' Party of the NSDAP and was himself a staunch Nazi. It has become main reason, according to which his factory was registered as an important military enterprise and received a large order for sewing Wehrmacht uniforms. German historian Henning Kober claims that all of the Hugo Boss management were Nazis and Hitler supporters.

After the end of the war, the factory again took up the production of overalls for postmen, policemen and railway workers. And its owner was tried, he escaped prison, but was sentenced to pay a fine of 100 thousand marks. True, later Hugo Boss was partially rehabilitated, and his status was changed: from the "accused" he turned into a "sympathizer." In 1948, the designer passed away at the age of 63. His company became a world famous brand after his death.

Following the publication of Roman Kester's book, Hugo Boss posted a statement on its website in which it stated " deep regret for the suffering that befell those who had to work in the factory of Hugo Boss under the Nazis”, which recognized the legitimacy of the conclusions of the historian.

And in the fashion world, the uniforms of the Third Reich, created by the Hugo Boss company, are considered the most beautiful and stylish military uniform. In the 1990s even a new movement was born - Nazi chic - Nazi chic. It was especially popular in Japan, where neo-Nazi organizations appeared. True, such a fashion is dictated rather not by aesthetic preferences, but by socio-political views, and is very far from ethical considerations - what is called "beyond good and evil."

Similar rumors circulated about the founder of another famous brand:

Long gone are the days when reenactors were confused with roleplayers. Today, historical reconstruction is often no longer just a hobby, but also serious work - research, study of crafts and restoration, regular intensive training, work with youth, performances in front of the audience and much more. The reconstruction movement has existed for more than one century. Back in the 17th century, certain historical events, victory, so that the people do not forget their history. In post-revolutionary Russia in 1920, the first reconstruction was carried out - the assault Winter Palace, a costumed military "show", in which about 10 thousand people took part. The reconstruction of the period of the Second World War in the Soviet Union originated in the 80s, when the first attempts were made to create mass events. Almost every re-enactor has a sufficient number of original antiques, since it is customary for us to make everything look as authentic as possible. Special attention is given, in particular, to the soldier's life: so that money of those times, wallets are in the pockets, soap, a razor, Toothbrush. Many have a duffel bag or knapsack fully equipped, some food is in their bread bags, some have old German newspapers.

Copies of tunics, awards and equipment of the 3rd Reich

Military uniforms of Wehrmacht soldiers some are perceived as the embodiment of evil, others - as an ordinary exhibit of collections or a necessary attribute of historical reconstructions. But regardless of the attitude, the form of the Third Reich is interesting in itself - from the point of view of its diversity and the reasons that led to certain design decisions.

Lovers and connoisseurs of history usually live outside of time and boundaries. They try to replenish their collections with amazing things that can be dated back to the last century. New builds are also in demand. Now the reconstruction of the uniform of the 3rd Reich is of great value. It is used not only as exhibits, but also for mass events of various historical clubs.

Almost all remakes of items of the 3rd Reich are completely identical to their counterparts. There is only one difference - recent production, which increases the service life. Buying a copy of the 3rd Reich clothing for reconstruction is quite simple - just refer to our Antik1941 online catalog. We guarantee fast delivery throughout Russia.

Buy a copy of the awards and weapons of the 3rd Reich

Not only uniforms, but also other accessories and items of the 3rd Reich are of great value. Our catalog is replete with various accessories that will help you do the reconstruction. Among them:

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If you need copies of weapons 3 Reich, you can choose not only machine guns and pistols, but also dummies of daggers and remake German knives. This will help you fully experience the times. brutal war, touch long history. Everything differs in quality, in full compliance with the original.

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Quality copies German orders and medals, copies of daggers and bayonet-knives, reconstruction german form times of the Second World War, models of firearms, reconstruction of German military equipment, copies of steel helmets, reconstruction of household items and interior of the 3rd Reich- once again we repeat that all these things are intended for historical reconstruction, but not as for the purpose of propaganda of the criminal regime that existed in the 3rd Reich before 1945 ...

The famous German fashion house apologized to the world community for the fact that during the Second World War, forced labor was used in its factories.

Hugo Ferdinand BOSS.

Why did Hugo join the Nazi party?

Back in 1997, Hugo Boss publicly acknowledged its collaboration with the Nazis. The impetus for the statement of the representatives of the company was the disclosure of hidden bank accounts in Switzerland, in which the name of Hugo Boss appeared, which proved his connection with the Nazis. But then in the statements there was a statement about the complete ignorance of the company's management about this fact - the absence of any mention of events related to maintenance in the company's archives served as an argument. Nazi regime.
In 2006, the Austrian magazine Profil wrote that Hugo Boss supplied uniforms during World War II Hitler's army. And, even worse, she used the labor of prisoners from concentration camps and prisoners of war for this. The firm did not deny the allegations. Press secretary Monica Stylen said at the time: “The Hugo Boss factory made work clothes and, apparently, uniforms for the SS. But since the enterprise did not have more accurate data about its history, the supply of Nazi uniforms and the use forced labor left without comment. And only a year later, the 83-year-old son of Hugo Boss Siegfried admitted that his father was a member of the Nazi Party. “And who was not a member at that time? The whole industry worked for the Nazis,” said Siegfried Boss.
To clean up the image of the company, it was decided to hire a historian who would investigate the events of 60 years ago, as did many other German companies accused of collaborating with the Nazis.
Author of the recent book Hugo Boss, 1924-1945, specialist in economic history The University of the Bundeswehr, Roman Köster, to whom the company commissioned the study, was supposed to check the rumors about the use of forced labor in the factories of the enterprise, and also to find out whether Hugo Ferdinand Boss was really Hitler's "personal tailor".
Having studied historical documents, the author of the book came to the conclusion that the founder of a textile company in the city of Metzingen (Baden-Württemberg) was a sincere supporter of the Nazi Party. “It is clear that Hugo Ferdinand Boss joined the party not only because of the opportunity to receive orders for the tailoring of military uniforms,” the author of the publication writes.
After the war, Boss claimed until his death in 1948 that he had joined to save his company, having been commissioned to make uniforms, first for party members and then for SS units. “Perhaps this is true, but judging by the statements of Hugo Ferdinand Boss, it cannot be said that his personal views diverged from those of the National Socialists,” Köster said. “That probably didn’t happen.”
From April 1940, Hugo Boss began to use forced labor in his enterprise, mostly women. At the factory, which served as the basis for the current Fashion House, 140 immigrants from Poland and 40 from France were used as forced labor in those years. Especially for such workers, a camp was built near the factory. Hygiene and food supply were at times very far from accepted norms.
As Roman Koester notes, in 1944, a year before the end of the war, Boss tried to alleviate the situation of female workers. He ordered some of them to be placed in his house, and also improved their nutrition. “We can only repeat what is already known: the treatment of forced factory workers was at times very cruel and reached the point of coercion. At the same time, care was shown about them, so it is very difficult to come to unambiguous conclusions, ”the author of the book writes.
The leadership of the fashion house Hugo Boss does not deny its past. After receiving the results of Roman Köster's research, the bosses not only did not interfere with the publication of the book, but also accompanied it with an official apology for the use of forced labor in the past. “We acknowledge all the hard facts and deeply regret that many people had to endure suffering while working in our factories during the war years. We didn't even try to hide it or rewrite history. By funding Roman Köster's research, we hoped to see true story our company. Our expectations have come true,” Hugo Boss management said in an official statement.
Representatives of Hugo Boss claim that they did not subject the work of Roman Koester to any censorship and that the book came out in the form in which the author wrote it.

It all started with a uniform for postmen

Hugo Boss is one of the most famous fashion houses. Under this brand are produced classic lines clothing, accessories and perfumes. Clothing lines for men and women (there is also a children's line) from Hugo Boss are produced under two brands: Boss collections are presented separately, the main one is named Boss Black, and separately - Hugo clothing lines. Unlike the classic Boss, Hugo brand is more unconventional and progressive. Another brand for "sophisticated" men and women, according to advertising, Hugo Boss is positioning the Baldessarini brand. Also accessories are produced under the Hugo Boss brand: watches, sunglasses and even Cell phones(together with Samsung), as well as perfumery.
Hugo Ferdinand Boss founded his company in Metzingen in 1923, just a few years after the end of the First World War, at a time when almost all of Germany was in a state of economic collapse.
At first it was a family business, the company was a small shop, which grew into a small factory that was engaged in sewing uniforms for social services- policemen, postmen and overalls for workers. The post-war crisis in Germany affected the company, and soon, in 1930, Hugo Boss declared bankruptcy.
But changes in social and political life in Germany gave the company the opportunity for revenge. In 1931 (two years before Adolf Hitler came to power), Hugo Boss, like many Germans, joins the National Socialist Party of Germany. And soon the new party affiliation begins to bear fruit. One of the first major contracts Hugo Boss got was to make brown shirts for members of the Nazi Party. Then he received orders for the manufacture of uniforms for the German armed forces, attack aircraft, SS men and the youth organization Hitler Jugend. He also proudly wore a party badge on his jacket, recalls Hugo Boss' son Siegfried.
In 1946 for party membership, support for the SS and supplies Nazi troops form - even before 1933 - Boss was recognized as an activist and supporter of the NSDAP; for this he was deprived of the right to vote, the opportunity to run his own company and was fined 100,000 marks.
AT postwar period the company returns to making clothes for postmen and police officers. In 1948, the founder of the company, Hugo Boss, dies, but the company continues to develop, and in the early 50s, the first men's suit appears in its assortment. But it wasn't until the 70s that the company focused entirely on men's fashion. The transformation of Hugo Boss into the fashion brand we know it today was greatly facilitated by the new management of the company. In 1967, brothers Holy, Uwe and Jochen, the grandsons of Hugo Boss, take over the management. In the wake of the post-war recovery of the German economy, Hugo Boss is rapidly developing and becomes the largest in Germany and one of the largest clothing manufacturers in the world, as well as an influential fashion house.

Heinrich Himmler in a Hugo Boss suit.

Entrepreneurs of the Third Reich

Fashion house Hugo Boss has joined the long list of the largest German concerns that recognized the use of slave labor during the Second World War.
Equipment manufacturers Krupp, Siemens, medical firm Bayer, automobile firms Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, BMW, Porsche, and the American company Ford exploited the labor of hundreds of thousands of prisoners of war. For example, at the BMW factories, 30,000 prisoners repaired the engines of military aircraft, but at the Krupp factories, 70,000 prisoners, along with the manufacture of coffee makers and washing machines, built ... gas chambers. This enterprise even had its own factory on the territory of the Auschwitz concentration camp. At the Bayer plant, the prisoners made poisonous gases, and they lived for only three and a half months. Out of 35,000 workers
25,000 died.
Enterprises explained the use of prisoner labor simply - all ordinary workers were in the army, there was no one to work. The money earned by the prisoners went to Hitler's party and to finance the war effort. Already in the 1950s, some former prisoners began to demand compensation from these German firms, and many of the demands were satisfied.
Not so long ago, charges of sympathy for the National Socialists were brought against the founder of the furniture company IKEA, Ingvar Kamprad. One of the richest men in the world, Ingvar Kamprad also collaborated with the Nazis during World War II. Moreover, as Swedish historian Elisabeth Osbrink argues in her new book, the founder of IKEA still does not hide his sympathies for the Nazis.

For that time the form German troops, made by Hugo Boss, was very fashionable and functional.

SS Fashion

The uniform for the SS was carefully designed, but looked intimidating. (SS is the abbreviation for the German Schutzstaffel - "protective division", elite fascist troops.) The black SS uniform (well known to our viewers from Tatyana Lioznova’s Seventeen Moments of Spring) was invented by a 34-year-old heraldry specialist, a member of the Imperial Association of German Artists, Professor Karl Dibich with his assistant Walter Heck. The latter also developed an emblem in the form of a double rune "zig" (the rune "zig" - lightning - in ancient German mythology was considered a symbol of the god of war Thor) and the design of melee weapons for the SS.
The creation of the SS uniform of Dibich was inspired by the uniform of the Prussian "Hussars of Death" (colloquially German Since the 18th century, it has been customary to call the 1st Life Hussar Regiment and the 2nd Life Hussar Regiment of Queen Victoria of Prussia), which was decorated with the Totenkopf emblem - “dead head”.
Ironically, in Russian Empire there were their own black hussars dressed in a similar uniform: the Fifth Regiment of the Alexandrian Hussars.
Black uniforms and caps for members of the SS were introduced on July 7, 1932, and after 1939 the mass transition members of the SS on gray uniforms. In fact, from that moment on, the black uniform was no longer worn, giving preference to gray. Also for operations in Italy and the Balkans, SS units were dressed in yellow uniforms. In 1944, the black uniform was abolished in Germany. Soviet figures cultures have turned it into a memorable symbol of the SS.

- Yes, I know that the Nazi uniform was invented by Hugo Boss, but objectively, the uniform is very beautiful. Stirlitz is immediately remembered ... And now our soldiers, they say, go in uniform from Yudashkin. So feel the difference, as they say. In general, I believe that art should be judged separately from the temporary circumstances in which it was created.

Alexey GOLOVIN,
psychologist (Krasnoyarsk):

- I heard that Hugo Boss even used the services of a small concentration camp for prisoners of war. They made shirts for German soldiers. There is a legend that he moved especially capable workers to his house, improved their living conditions ... I don’t know how to relate to this. You can't rewrite history. Nevertheless, now the company is apologizing to the victims of Nazism for something, which means they feel involved in bad deeds.

Eduard PINYUGZHANIN,
TV journalist (Kirov):

- The fact that Hugo Boss sewed a uniform for the Nazis did not shock me and did not become some kind of revelation. At that time, many people, in order to survive, had to accept for themselves the "rules of the game" that the Hitler government dictated. It is worth noting that Hugo Boss thus earned himself and, by creating jobs, made it possible for others to earn a living. His products were not lethal. The form can only intimidate. So I don't see anything special about what Hugo Boss did during World War II.

Igor NELYUBIN,
press secretary of ZAO VyatkaTorf (Kirov):

- We know the artist by his works, and not by what he was in life. Scoundrels are also talented - this fact does not require proof. We cannot say that Hugo Boss was a villain simply because he did his job with talent and quality. If he had worked differently, no one would have thanked him for this and would not have remembered him at all. Another thing is that Boss himself was a Nazi and used slave labor. This does not paint him at all and, probably, it would be worthy of condemnation on Nuremberg Trials as aiding the enemy. No credit for his talent. But people, whatever they may be, leave life. What remains is what is valuable for our society, for future generations.

Lyubov MOZHAEVA,
artistic director creative association Union of Creators of Russia (Irkutsk):

- World War II ended a long time ago, but facts from the “black” past are still emerging. On the one hand, like any sane person, forced labor deeply disgusts me. I understand perfectly well that the workers, or rather, the workers (as far as I know, mostly women from Poland, France and Ukraine worked at the factory at that time) lived in terrible conditions. It was a concentration camp, not a resort. But I fully admit the idea that Hugo Ferdinand Boss really was forced to work for the Hitler regime in order to save his business. By analogy with our country, our factories and plants were also redesigned for the needs of the war. I doubt that the leadership of the USSR offered any choice - rather, it simply confronted the fact.

Sergey PLATONOV,
Senior Lecturer, Department of Economics and Management in Construction (Irkutsk):

- German historians entered into controversy over this scandal. Someone says that Hugo Boss was forced to cooperate with Hitler, others (in particular, Roman Köster) argue that the businessman sincerely sympathized with National Socialism. To know reliable information already impossible. But it is known for certain that Hugo Boss paid a fine for aiding the Nazis. Now the leadership has apologized for the use of slave labor. In addition, in 2000 the company joined the "Remembrance, Responsibility, Future" fund, created by large German firms to pay compensation to former forced laborers. In summary, I can say that these official apologies and all the information that has surfaced in connection with this, albeit not very flattering, are all a good PR move in support of a book about the history of the company and interest in the brand.

Photo: Alexey Gorshkov

WAS special project dedicated to the 72nd anniversary of the surrender Nazi Germany. Study and compare the infantry uniforms of the seven armies that fought on European theater Second World War.

Andrey, 35 years old, elevator maintenance engineer

Form: Wehrmacht, 1945

WHAT WEARED

This is a uniform set of 1940, but it could be seen at the end of the war. In 1945 in german army already used the form of different times. The supply was broken, and everything they had was given out from the warehouses. The set did not remain in use for long even after the war, in the occupation zones until the formation of the GDR and the FRG.

The German uniform made of woolen cloth is considered hot for the summer, but it is comfortable. autumn and in early spring it is much better than in the cotton tunic of the Red Army. During these seasons, the Germans were in a better position.

DETAILS

Caps of the 1943 model entered the Wehrmacht instead of caps. The headdresses of mountain rangers were taken as a sample. Unlike the cap, the cap has a visor to protect the eyes from rain and sun. The lapels are detachable to cover the ears and neck. Closer to 1945, the model was simplified: the lapels became false, decorative.

In battle, they wore a steel helmet. I have it of the 1942 model, also simplified to reduce the cost of production. For example, stamping is now without bends at the edges. And yet, the German helmet protects the ears and neck better than the Soviet one.

The color of the gaps on the buttonholes determined the type of troops. Green (later grey) clearance is a badge of infantry. In the artillery gaps were red. Chevrons were not supposed to be ordinary.

On the pocket is an infantry badge. This is not a reward. It was issued for 10-15 days spent at the front. In fact, this is a certificate of a participant in hostilities.

EQUIPMENT

On my back I have an unloading frame, which is attached to the harness belts. It was introduced at the end of 1941 to increase the number of items worn by a soldier. It can be combined with a backpack or used without it.

A bean-shaped bowler hat is fixed on the frame (tourists still use similar ones) and a raincoat section with a tent set: pegs, half-racks. The tent is assembled from four such panels. A bread bag was fixed under the tent, in which everything needed for a short combat operation could be put: a kit for cleaning a rifle, a sweater, a towel, a soap dish.

SS is the abbreviation of the German Schutzstaffel - "protective division". The elite of the fascist troops. Initially, the squadron was formed for the personal protection of Hitler, but grew into a leading military organization. And the uniform for the SS was designed carefully, but looked intimidating. The SS men wore black uniforms with breeches and knee-high boots, brown shirts with a black tie, black caps with a cockade in the form of dead head, and insignia in the form of two Zig runes. But during combat training, it turned out that the black uniform was not suitable for war and the gray SS uniform for combat operations was introduced. Also for operations in Italy and the Balkans, SS units were dressed in yellow uniforms. The whole form was constantly undergoing changes and refined over the years of the war. This variety of outfits required large capacities for the production of uniforms, and many enterprises were engaged in the production of weapons and could not produce anything else. So the provision of military needs was a profitable business.
In 1930, Hugo Boss (Hugo Boss) was on the verge of bankruptcy. Hugo, the owner of the factory, made up his mind and joined the NSDAP ( Nazi party) and immediately received an order for the production of uniforms for the SA, SS and Hitler Youth. In principle, the choice is quite predictable. It was difficult to exist outside the party, and members received assistance and benefits. Although principles did not allow someone to do this ... In 1937, almost a hundred people already worked for Hugo Boss. With the outbreak of World War II, his company was registered as an important military enterprise and received an order for the manufacture of Wehrmacht uniforms. Indeed, some of the SS uniform designs were designed by Hugo Boss, not by Hugo himself, but by Professor Karl Oberführer and designer Diebitschen Walter Kech. After the war, Hugo Boss quickly switched to making uniforms for railroad workers and postmen. And the brand entered high fashion only in the 90s. And at this time, a new movement was born - Nazi chic - Nazi chic. The costumes have undergone a significant redesign and are made from completely different fabrics. Nazi uniforms are especially popular in Japan, where they vigorous activity neo-Nazi organizations, and young people dress up in Nazi costumes "for fun." It is a pity that not everyone thinks about the ethics of their actions. Although you can not blame people for wanting to stand out, especially children. More Nazi uniform very popular with fetishists, but the photo did not upload for ethical reasons. In general, there are quite sexy images:) Do you like fetish? Updated on 04/10/10 19:15: I run my fashion design blog, if anyone is interested, see my profile. Updated on 04/10/10 23:04: I do NOT approve of wearing fascist symbols.