NEW FACES: The Boss family of ambassadors is growing.
American football quarterback Patrick Mahomes, and British actor and singer-songwriter Suki Waterhouse join the likes of Naomi Campbell, Maluma, Gigi Hadid and Matteo Berrettini in the fall 2023 campaign for the German brand.
Waterhouse wears a light cream blazer with a wool pinstripe coat draped over her shoulders with gold jewelry and a gold watch with a green watchface. In another shot, she’s wearing a black shirt with a matching set of gold bracelets and earrings.
Patrick Mahomes for Boss
Courtesy of Boss
In Mahomes’ shot, he’s surrounded by a gray set wearing a gray suit with white stripes that Maluma wears in his version of the campaign. In another, he’s in a knit sweater with wool trousers and a dark gray wool jacket.
In August, it was reported that the sales for the company’s second-quarter results were strong, with its two brands, Boss and Hugo, rising 20 percent in currency-adjusted terms to bring in 1.02 billion euros altogether during the second quarter. This brings the German premium brand’s sales to 1.99 billion euros for the first half of 2023.
Naomi Campbell for Boss
Courtesy of Boss
As a result of the ongoing double-digit increase, the business said it now expects to see sales growth of between 12 and 15 percent over the whole year, bringing in between 4.1 billion and 4.2 billion euros. The company’s goal is to make 5 billion euros by 2025.
Gigi Hadid for Boss
This is the second time that Hugo Boss has raised guidance this year, having first done so after reporting positive first-quarter results in early May. At the beginning of the year, the company’s outlook had been more modest, with growth expected at between 4 and 6 percent. — HIKMAT MOHAMMED
THE EYES HAVE IT: Los Angeles fine jewelry designer Jacquie Aiche does know how to curate a vibe.
In the Beverly Hills bungalow that is her showroom, feather headdresses, petrified wood sculptures, a yoga studio, backyard lounge and Stevie Nicks soundtrack cast a boho spell. It’s no wonder clients (Rihanna and Dua Lipa are fans) like to stop by in person and buy their “jewelry as lingerie,” as the designer calls her layered pieces, including the belly chains, finger bracelets, inlaid eye and personalized hieroglyphic name pendants that have kept her in business for 16 years.
Her diamond and gemstone pieces, like the custom maternity body chains and mesh bras she’s made for Rihanna, the “alien” inlaid pendant Gigi Hadid had with her on her summer vacation, and the teardrop tourmaline and pointed crystal necklace Taylor Swift wore in New York last week can run in the five figures and beyond. (Custom work is 40 percent of the jeweler’s business.)
But Aiche also has more accessible collaborations, including one with Tropic of C on gold-plated designs, and another with Timex on watches incorporating her brand’s flower and eye motifs.
On Wednesday, she releases the second drop with Timex, a Sunrise timepiece with a face crafted with a multicolored mother-of-pearl mosaic of celestial rays rising above the ocean.
The Sunrise watch from Timex.
“Timex is actually a beautiful and endearing story,” she said, sharing the background. “My dad had nine spine surgeries in a year and a half, and my life kind of stopped. I sat with him at the hospital the whole time, and after every surgery, he would jump out of bed and say, ‘I’m like a Timex watch, I keep on ticking.’”
It was kismet, because during his eighth surgery, Aiche got an email out of nowhere asking if she’d ever consider doing a collaboration with Timex.
“So each Timex that we sell is like a little love note to my dad,” Aiche said, noting that the first drop sold out in minutes.
The price of the Jacquie Aiche x Timex Sunrise watch is $375 and it’s available on the JA and Timex websites.
There is more to come through next year, including a larger watch designed with men in mind. “The collection is growing and so many people have every single one,” she said. “And for me, it’s actually been a blessing to be able to offer something that’s affordable especially during times when even our heavy hitters aren’t spending the way that they used to.”
She also has under-$500 collaborations with NSF on sweats, and soon with Kashwere on blankets and robes, all with her signature eyes.
“Yeah, everyone wants it,” Aiche said of the symbol that’s been paired with a snake, a marquis and more. “It’s funny because we design about four or five each year and then there’s one that stays with us.” — BOOTH MOORE