Clothing brand Hugo Boss is looking to further reduce its reliance on airfreight as part of efforts to cut both costs and emissions.
In its 2025 annual report, the German fashion giant said that last year it had reduced its reliance on airfreight, which it said highlighted its “commitment to balancing cost efficiency with operational excellence, while at the same time emphasising sustainable sourcing practices”.
Looking ahead, the company said it is committed to continuing to reduce airfreight dependence while ensuring on-time product availability.
“We strive to further optimise freight modes through a seafreight-first approach,” the company said. “Already in recent years, Hugo Boss has successfully reduced its reliance on airfreight with a further reduction targeted going forward,” the company’s annual report read.
Speaking on an investor call, chief financial and chief operating officer Yves Müller explained that the company was hoping that the push to seafreight would help improve gross margins.
Müller said that the company’s use of airfreight was currently at “high single-digit” levels but the aim was to get this figure down further.
“Airfreight should be kind of an exception going forward, and this is also a positive driver of the gross margin,” Müller said.
Fashion brands often rely on airfreight for new product launches as they rush to get products to market.
Extended ocean shipping transit times from Asia and higher costs, as a result of container shipping lines needing to take a longer route around southern Africa, is likely to have pushed up the reliance on airfreight.
Hugo Boss said the overall situation in the Red Sea has shown signs of partial stabilisation but it added that shipping patterns have not yet fully normalised and freight rates remain volatile.
The company also admitted that the recent outbreak of further fighting in the Middle East could further disrupt maritime operations.
“Looking ahead to 2026, renewed escalation of geopolitical conflicts in the Middle East could again disrupt key maritime trade routes, further straining global logistics capacity and increasing transportation costs.
“Hugo Boss will continue to closely monitor developments and implement appropriate measures where necessary.”
