Metzingen, Germany
Designed by Karim Rashid with UK-based Alex Thomson and Paris-based VPLP Design, the Hugo Boss IMOCA 60 Yacht is a sleek, state-of-the-art and sustainable yacht.
Manufactured by UK-based Jason Carrington of Carrington Boats Limited, the 18.28 metre IMOCA 60 won a recent 2021 Green Good Design Award from The Chicago Athenaeum and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.
“The new Hugo Boss yacht is the culmination of the last 16 years of this team’s work.” Thomson said.
“We’ve brought together the very best people across every area of the project to create a boat which is ground-breaking in so many ways, a boat which we very much hope will allow us to achieve our ambition of winning the Vendée Globe in 2020-2021.”
Named after the title partner Hugo Boss, the 7.6 ton, IMOCA 60 yacht is made almost entirely from carbon fibre with a streamlined black hull at the bow, pink accents and a silver carbon logo.
Solar energy powers Thomson’s onboard communication and navigation systems via custom-built solar panels on the yacht’s deck and coach roof. An electric motor and battery system have also been installed with the ultimate goal to sail around the world competitively without any fossil fuels.
Hugo Boss, the name carried by all six of the team’s previous IMOCA boats, weighs 7.6 tonnes and features state-of-the-art hydrofoils.
The boat’s deck and coach roof, meanwhile, feature solar panelling, an addition that should allow it to achieve an ambition of sailing around the world without the use of fossil fuels.
The boat’s black carbon hull with a significantly streamlined bow has now been made public.
The hull’s glossy black finish has been conceived to echo the sleek brand identity of Hugo Boss. Boss’ brand logo has been of silver carbon fibre has been embedded into the hull itself.
“This sport is no longer just about qualified naval architecture and competent ocean racing, said Stewart Hosford, CEO of Alex Thomson Racing.
“It’s a design and engineering challenge at the highest level. It’s about bringing together the best in the world in every single area, in the relentless pursuit of excellence, of perfection.”
The yacht’s build itself began back in June 2018 and has involved more than 50,000 hours of specialist construction with the effort of more than 100 workers—to complete the revolutionary racing yacht, which may explain the £5.5 million ($6.7 million) price tag.
Project: Hugo Boss IMOCA 60 Yacht
Designers: Karim Rashid Inc.
Naval Architects: VPLP Design and Alex Thomson Racing
Manufacturer: Carrington Boats Limited
Client: Hugo Boss AG
