In June 2023, BOSS launches a collection with Assos. 24 pieces, men and women, from baselayers to jerseys to wind vests. The question it raises: does cycling need a fashion house collaboration?
What’s Inside
The collection combines BOSS aesthetics with Assos technology. In concrete terms: neutral tones in black, gray, and white — BOSS, obviously — but with Assos’ temperature regulation and moisture management under the hood. Plus socks, gloves, and Spider Bags as accessories.
The pitch is clear: pieces that work on the bike and don’t look like cycling gear afterward. Whether you want that is a matter of taste. That it works technically is beyond question — Assos builds the internals, and they’ve been doing that since 1976.
The Bigger Picture: Tudor Pro Cycling
The BOSS collaboration is part of a bigger package. BOSS simultaneously sponsors Fabian Cancellara’s Tudor Pro Cycling Team — the logo sits on the sleeves of the team jerseys. Add a partnership with BMC for branded bikes.
For Assos, the picture is coherent: Tudor Pro Cycling rides BMC, wears Assos, rolls on DT Swiss. All Swiss. BOSS brings international visibility beyond the cycling bubble.
Assessment
Fashion collaborations in cycling aren’t new — Rapha did it with Palace, Maap with others. But Assos is traditionally the brand that files patents rather than runs campaigns. The BOSS partnership shows that things are moving in Stabio too. That the collection launched in June — peak cycling season — fits the Italian-Swiss character of both brands.