Jason Wu Steps Down from Hugo Boss After Five Years as Artistic Director
The designer will now concentrate fully on his eponymous label
Photo: Getty
Jason Wu
Jason Wu has confirmed that he will be cutting professional ties with Hugo Boss after acting as the brand’s artistic director of womenswear for five years, WWD reports. Wu will show his final collection for the house—a Gallery Collection presentation at Cedar Lake—today during New York Fashion Week.
“It’s public knowledge that about a year and a half ago there was a management change at Hugo Boss,” Wu explained. “I’ve stayed on to help the brand with the transition of its next stage. It’s going on to the next generation and iteration of Hugo Boss.”
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Wu also explained that he was “very, very proud” of his five-year stint at the brand, adding, “I feel like by today’s standards that’s a very long time.”
As well as his role at Hugo Boss, the designer has been running his own namesake label, which is now 10 years old. Stepping down from this role will allow him to concentrate full-time on his own brand.
“I’ve worn many different hats in the past 10 years and throughout my whole career, I am never the complaining kind,” he said. “I love doing a lot of things. One of my biggest idols is Karl Lagerfeld. I think to be able to do a lot if fortunate. I’m really happy to have done a lot. But I’m also happy now that I can concentrate 100 per cent on my brand… After 10 years in the business, I feel like I need to devote all my energy to my own label.”
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It has not yet been announced who will replace Wu at Hugo Boss, but the label’s executives were very complimentary of the designer's work with them.
Brand officer Ingo Wilts said, “I feel certain that he will approach all his future projects with the same compelling passion and zest that he brought to Hugo Boss—and for which we are highly indebted to him at that time.”
Jason Wu Fall/Winter 2018
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This article originally appeared on Harper's BAZAAR US.