Jil Sander's minimalist designs are proposals full of class and taste. Who is this German designer who gave the brand its start? For many years, she stood in the shadows, allowing the clothes to speak for themselves. She is also a great example of the idea that behind a brand and its success should be someone who has aesthetics in their blood. We present her story.
Jil Sander is a designer who "breathes" the aesthetics of her own brand. Her design is the answer to the needs of people who value simplicity, like oversized style and toned colors. Like Ann Demeulemeester or Issey Miyake, she represents minimalism in the world of fashion and has never deviated from this simple course.
Despite turbulence related to various visions of brand development and several years of break, the brand triumphantly came back. Additionally, the brand's shows were very well received by fashion critics and influencers enamored with raw, conceptual minimalism. The brand, despite temporary problems, has never been forgotten in the world of fashion, it has always kept its course on minimalism.
Jil Sander online and stationary - a precursor of minimalism
Jil Sander online in the Vitkac store presents the Jil Sander+ collection. These are men's and women's clothes, mainly in black and white, in most cases casual proposals, as the brand's designers say, just right for "life outside the city". How did the career of the German founder and first designer of the brand begin? What do we actually know about her?
Sander is an example of professional development "from a cobbler to a millionaire". The designer started her career as a fashion editor in the German magazine Petra. In 1967, at the age of just 24, she opened her first boutique in Hamburg, where one could buy clothes from Sonia Rykiel (who opened her own store only a year later), debut patterns of Thierry Mugler and her own, first projects.
In 1968, Sander founded the Jil Sander brand. Although her first show in Paris in 1975 was not a success and popularity had to be waited for, the refined aesthetics and decisive approach of the designer to minimalism eventually proved desirable. In 1989, the brand went public in Frankfurt, and the creator used the new capital for expansion in Asia and North America - in these regions, the aesthetics typical for the designer were duly appreciated.
Ups and downs of Jil Sander
In 1999, Prada Group bought 75% of shares in the company. Sander remained in the position of creative designer and became the president of the new joint venture, but soon resigned from the position, citing a disagreement with the head of Prada, Patrizio Bertelli. After reaching an agreement with Bertelli, Sander returned to the company as the main designer in 2003, but left again in 2004 due to irreconcilable differences.
From 2006, the position of the main designer of the brand was taken over by Raf Simons known for a similar, minimalist aesthetics (he started as an intern at Walter Van Beirendonck, who designed for Maison Margiela). Simons, feeling the spirit of the brand, brought a sporty look and modern sex appeal present in body-hugging cuts, bold slits and necklines.
In February 2006, Change Capital Partners bought the Jil Sander brand from Prada Group. Two years later, it was sold to the Japanese company Onward Holdings. In 2009, Jil Sander, already after leaving her own brand, started a cooperation with Uniqlo, for which she designed a collection of women's and men's clothing under the brand +J. The designer herself describes the collection's style as refined, comfortable casual inspired by architecture and its harmonious proportions.
The utilitarian collection uses innovative materials, the properties of which open up new possibilities of cutting and using proportions. The collection was sold all over Asia, and in 2010 it also appeared in the Uniqlo store in New York.
Farewells and returns
After eight years of absence, in February 2012, designer Jil Sander, known for her minimalist aesthetic, returned to the fashion house she had created, replacing Raf Simons, creative director of the brand since 2006. However, Jil's collaboration with the brand did not last long. After only three seasons of work, Sander once again left the company, citing "personal reasons". This news appeared after speculation about disagreements between Sander and Prada. On a sweet note, for her overall work and global achievements in the field of culture, Jil Sander received the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.
After Sander's final departure from her fashion house, Italian designer Rodolfo Paglialunga was appointed creative director, who had previously been in charge of Prada's women's collections, but he resigned after three years. The brand - in the midst of numerous tempests - decided to navigate into calmer fashion waters by the married couple Luke and Lucie Meier, who took over as co-directors in April 2017.
Having previous experience in such luxury fashion houses as Louis Vuitton, Dior and Raf Simons, the duo took on the challenge of putting Jil Sander back on her feet. They decided to approach the brand's DNA in a fresh way. Based on modern functionality, the pair introduced Jil Sander+, a collection focused on "life outside the city", which debuted at the furniture fair in Milan in 2019. The collection includes bomber jackets, sweatpants, hoodies, blazers as well as T-shirts, tops, short-sleeved shirts and shorts with wide legs.
JIL SANDER+
Asymmetrical top with a logo
JIL SANDER
Slip dress
JIL SANDER
Appliquéd shorts
During Milan Fashion Week, the collection was presented in a vital scenography designed by Australian artist Linda Tegg. She created a live installation inside the Milan headquarters of Jil Sander, made of mosses, succulents and other grasses growing out of a concrete floor. The artistic installation aimed to highlight the idea accompanying the collection - the exploration of our relationships and the development of technology with nature.
Jil Sander online, in a digital version, is doing great, attracting more and more younger groups of customers. The rise in popularity of this brand is the best testament to the hard and effective work of the married duo of the Meiers, who understand the complicated history, aesthetics and DNA of the brand, and also in a given way adapt projects to modern conditions, not giving up on trends.
