Review of BOSS x Russell Athletic Collection

American sportswear meets Italian smart tailoring.

By Jiawa Liu - published 25 Sep 2021

We could talk about the extravagant showing of Hugo Boss and Russell Athletics second collection at a Milan baseball pitch — cheerleaders, food trucks and mascots, and the audacious audience of about1,300 people. However, the story here is really how Hugo Boss and Russel Athletics successfully created a ‘social-first’ event, that seamlessly assimilated a physical fashion week experience with the viral impact of social media.

With a heavy emphasis on social media amplification, the show was attended, and supported by around 200 creators that included Chiara Ferragni, Elevatorboys, Younes Zarou, and Elisa Maino. The show was streamed live on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, and LinkedIn, and the collection was already available for all to shop on Instagram and online by the time the show closed.

The #BOSSMoves filters and GIF stickers released on Instagram Stories were only the beginning. On TikTok, five non-fungible token (NFT) jackets were offered as prizes for a competition (open until 23 October). The winners would get a digital jacket to wear on TikTok as a unique filter, as well as a physical one.

And while fashion royalty Gigi Hadid opened the show, it was closed by TikTok star Khaby Lame. If you don’t remember the name, think of the guy who makes those ingenious skits parodying people who unnecessarily complicate simple tasks. Lame is a social media unicorn who has managed to amass 113 million followers on TikTok in just over a year.

As for the collection itself, it followed closely to what was first released in March last year. The references to American sport nostalgia were literal and immediate. There were the letterman jackets, tracksuits, hoodies and puffer vests, all styled playfully with beanies and ribbed socks, combining Boss’s tradition for tailoring and Russell Athletics heritage in sportswear.