Werner Baldessarini

Werner Baldessarini, born on 23 January 1945 in Kufstein in Tyrol, is an Austrian fashion designer and businessman who was formerly chairman of Hugo Boss. His grandparents were of Italian descent and he grew up in Munich, where at sixteen he began an apprenticeship as a textile merchant at the Hirmer men's fashion store and later became managing director of the outfitter Wagenheimer. He joined Hugo Boss in 1975, became chief designer, joined its executive board in 1988 and headed it from 1998. Under his leadership the Boss Orange sportswear label (1998) and the Boss woman line (2000) were introduced, and the Baldessarini luxury label for men appeared in 1993 under chief executive Peter Littmann. In 2002 Bruno Sälzer replaced him as chief executive and he moved to the supervisory board until 2005. In 2006 he took over the Baldessarini brand from Hugo Boss and sold it to Ahlers AG, and from 2010 to 2013 he sat on the supervisory board of the hosiery maker Wolford.