Upscale German fashion brand Hugo Boss has launched its first HUGO shop-in-shops at Hudson’s Bay. Seven HUGO shops will open at Hudson's Bay this year, and more to follow in 2017, according to Lanita Layton, Managing Director for Hugo Boss' Canadian operations.

Last week, separate men’s and women’s HUGO shop-in-shops opened within Hudson’s Bay’s Toronto Queen Street flagship. The HUGO Man boutique on The Bay’s fifth floor measures almost 1,800 square feet, and is a first in North America for HUGO Man. The shop is located in the centre of Hudson’s Bay’s renovated 100,000 square foot fifth floor men’s store, which opened in early 2015. HUGO Man features fashions that “flirt with 90’s street style and ultra-modern, sport-influenced menswear” according to Hugo Boss. The open-concept shop itself features black metal finishes and neatly displayed product, featuring clothing as well as an assortment of accessories and footwear.

*HUGO Woman on 3. Photo: Craig Patterson for Retail Insider*

A smaller women’s HUGO boutique on Hudson's Bay's third floor is a first in the world for the new boutique concept which Ms. Layton noted has soft, feminine colours on its walls. The lighter aesthetic includes beige branded display showcases that showcase HUGO Woman's spring collection. Floors in the shop-in-store are light hardwood, contrasting with Hudson’s Bay’s shiny stone floors. Hugo Boss describes the women's HUGO fashions as being “sharp, tailored and pure” with summer clothing of “essential dressing with a minimal aesthetic".

Ms. Layton revealed that Hugo Boss will open five more Hudson’s Bay HUGO partner shop-in-stores in 2016, with another confirmed for early 2017. The 2016 openings will include three men’s HUGO shops at Hudson’s Bay's downtown Vancouver and Montreal stores, as well as at Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre Hudson’s Bay location. Two women’s HUGO stores will also open in 2016 -- at Hudson’s Bay’s downtown Vancouver and Yorkdale stores. In 2017, Hugo Boss will open a HUGO Woman shop-in-store at downtown Montreal's Hudson's Bay flagship, she said.

Canadian Retail News From Around The Web: May 25, 2016