Designer Jason Wu

Taiwanese-Canadian designer Jason Wu, famous for his slick, highly urbane, eponymous womenswear line, has been appointed artistic director for womenswear at Germany luxury label Hugo Boss.

"I have long been a fan of Hugo Boss' vast tradition and lineage in extraordinary tailoring. With the state-of-the-art facilities that are unique to the Hugo Boss design labs, I plan to develop a strong, feminine womenswear collection that reciprocates the brand's authority in menswear," said Wu.

"We are absolutely delighted to have an outstanding talent like Jason Wu on board," Hugo Boss CEO Claus Dietrich Lahrs said in a statement. "This will generate a powerful and creative statement for Boss Womenswear and show our commitment to focus even more on the female side of the brand."

Born in Taipei, Wu moved to Vancouver, Canada as a child before studying fashion design at the famous Parsons school in New York City. Launching his own womenswear line in 2007, he quickly became known for his classic evening dresses that won legions of celebrity fans. Most influential of all, perhaps, is US first lady Michelle Obama, who picked Wu's designs to wear at her husband's presidential inaugurations in 2009 and 2013.

A Jason Wu design at the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Fall 2013

At Hugo Boss, Wu is set to take care of all the women's ready-to-wear, shoes and accessories, and his first work will appear in the pre-fall 2014 looks. We will have to wait until New York Fashion Week in February to see his runway debut for the label with the Fall-Winter 2014 show. 

The designer will continue to work on his own collections under the Jason Wu label, which is based in New York City. Hugo Boss is set to open a new design studio in the Big Apple to work in parallel with the label's teams in Metzingen, Germany. 

Photos: AFP/Stan Honda