Jil Sander

• Born: Heidemarie Jiline Sander in Wesselburen, Germany, 27 November 1943.
• Education: Graduated from Krefeld School of Textiles, near Düsseldorf, 1963; foreign exchange student, University of Los Angeles, 1963-64.
• Career: Fashion journalist, McCall's, Los Angeles, and for Constanze and Petra magazines, Hamburg, 1964-68; freelance clothing designer, 1968-73; opened first Jil Sander boutique, Hamburg, 1968; founded Jil Sander Moden, Hamburg, 1969; showed first women's collection, 1973; founded Jil Sander GmbH, 1978; introduced fragrance and cosmetics line, 1979; launched Jil Sander furs, 1982; debut of leather and eyewear collections, 1984; Jil Sander GmbH converted to public corporation, Jil Sander AG, 1989; opened Paris boutique, 1993; showed first menswear collection, 1993; opened flagship store, Hamburg, 1997; Prada bought stake in firm, 1999; departed the company bearing her name, 2000; barred from designing a competing Sander line, until 2003; fragrances include Woman Pure, Woman II, Woman III, Man Pure, Man II, Man III, Man IV, and Feeling Man.Awards: Fil d'Or award, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985; City of Munich Fashion award, 1983; Vif-Journal Silberne Eule, 1983; Fédération Française du Prêt á Porter Feminin award, 1985; Aguja de Oro award, Madrid, 1986; Forum Preis, 1989.
• Address: Osterfeldstrasse 32-34, 22529 Hamburg, Germany.
• Website:www.jilsander.com.

Jil Sander has often been described as the Queen of German fashion, but her style and ambitions have always been international. Her company headquarters were located in the north German city of Hamburg, but her clothes were manufactured in Milan, where she showed for almost a decade before changing her venue to Paris. A self-made success story, Sander designed for independent, intelligent women around the world. She also created fragrances for both men and women, and began producing a menswear line in 1993.

Sander has a strong, modern sensibility, and her style has been described as luxurious minimalism, on the edge of forward. There were no frills or fads in Sander's world; everything irrelevant is eliminated. Like Giorgio Armani, she is one of the fashion world's most austere purists, a creator of designs so clean they seem stripped down to the bone. Yet it is not entirely accurate to describe her clothes as classic, because this would imply they are static, and Sander has never repeated bestselling designs from the previous collections.

"I find 'timeless' classic terribly boring," Sander told German Vogue in January 1990. "A classic is an excuse, because one is too lazy to confront the spirit of the time." Her own style of classicism always had a modern edge, and the woman who wears Sander's clothes "knows perfectly well what is 'in' this season, and has consciously reduced [it] to suit herself." Sander loves fashion and change and believes other women feel the same way. "We don't buy a new coat because we are cold. We buy things that animate, that give us a good feeling."

Sander has been one of the most important women designers working in both the 20th and 21st centuries, believing there are definite differences between male and female design sensibilities. Male designers, Sander told Mirabella in June 1991, tend to "see things more decoratively—more from the outside. I want to know how I feel in my clothes." She tries on all the clothes in her women's collection herself, to ensure they look and feel exactly right. They consistently have the high quality of the best menswear; they are beautifully tailored, and made from menswear-derived fabrics, often her own luxury fiber blends such as wool-silk or linen-silk. Yet her palette tends toward pale neutrals, which read as both strong and feminine.

Sander's combination of masculine and feminine design elements results in clothes that feel comfortable and look powerful but are also sexy in a subtle way. Her version of understated chic is not cheap, however. "If you want quality, it costs," she bluntly told Mirabella 's journalist. (Her women's suits range from $1,500 to $6,500.) Think more and buy less, she advised. "People have already consumed too much." But as journalist Melissa Drier observed, Sander's clothes give women the same confidence that a hand-tailored suit gives a man.

The words "strong" and "powerful" occur frequently in Sander's conversation, revealing something of her own personality, as well as her design aesthetic and her ideal customer. "A powerful woman, a woman who knows who she is—I would say that is more interesting than a doll with the most beautiful nose in the world," she told Marie Claire in August 1991. And as if to complement the strong modern woman, Sander has called her men's fragrance Feeling Man.

Sander has had no sympathy for the old-fashioned concept of woman as sex kitten or status symbol. "It is possible to have a very sexy feeling without looking like a sex kitten," she commented to W in fall 1991. A woman wearing an austere, brown wool trouser-suit can look and feel sexy, she believes. The typical alta-moda woman might not be happy in Sander's clothes, but many women today do want clothes that express a liberated sensibility and a modern sensuality.

Sander's intuition, too, has guided her into unusual modes, which Women' Wear Daily typified as the "bold and controversial punch" that is her trademark. In 1997, she opened a Hamburg flagship on Neuer Wall, which she dubbed the city's emerging "Madison Avenue." Interior Design applauded her collaboration with American architect Michael Gabellini and characterized the two visionaries as "masters of minimalism." Her ambition turned to locations in Osaka, Zurich, Basel, St. Moritz, London, New York, Miami, and Costa Mesa, California.

In 1999 Sander abandoned the airy femininity of 1998 with its drapey rayons, metallic threads, and mesh and invigorated her line with vinyl tunics. Later in the year, she paired top and skirt in contrasting patterns. To soften the look, she reversed fabrics to present the faded underside. She detailed with ruching and pintucking and experimented with felted or rubber-coated wools. For a new men's line, she replaced the power suit with pared-down tweeds, cashmere, and boiled wools. For herself, she commissioned Renzo Mongiardino to refurbish her 19th-century villa in Hamburg.

Just as Sander was revolutionizing unyielding, cookie-cutter men's businesswear, her unforeseen exit from Hamburg-based Prada in January 2000 bemused the fashion hierarchy with more questions than answers. The dust-up with moneyman Patrizio Bertelli occurred five months after Prada invested in her fashion house. At the time, Sander saw Prada as a partner and looked to Bertelli for strength as she aimed at introducing a line of fashion accessories.

Chief executive Bertelli obviously discounted the element that sold Jil Sanders clothes. His refusal to budget her choice of fine fabrics and trims for her $3,000 suits, $6,000 coats, and $1,000 sweaters irrevocably destroyed their synergy. Critics tended to take her side on the issue of marketing versus quality. In March, the Washington Post mourned, "Sander's cool dedication to business, smart women and fine tailoring will be sorely missed."

Of Sander's instinct for fashion, Nancy Pearlstein of Louis in Boston stated, "I think she's probably one of the most talented people in the business. She has an exquisite sense of fine fabric and that knowledge is irreplaceable." Appropriately, the Council of Fashion Designers of America nominated Sander for the 2000 International award. Fashion analyst Boyd Davis crowed her the Queen of German Fashion.

Ironically, Sander's exit her company occurred when the firm was showing strong sales and profits. Milan Vukmirovic, formerly with Gucci, eased into Sander's place but without replicating her knack for style and luxe. Exuding confidence in Sander's replacement, Bertelli stated to Women's Wear Daily, "A brand that's as strong as Jil Sander doesn't need to rely on the name of a designer." A legal settlement prohibited Sander from designing a competing line until January 2003. Speculation envisioned her making up with Bertelli and paired her with Hérmes as a replacement for Martin Margiela, but both rumors proved untrue. As models hit the runway wearing spring 2002 designs, the fashion world missed Sander's élan.

Publication

On Sander:

Books
• Stegemeyer, Anne, Who's Who in Fashion, Third Edition, New York, 1996.

Articles
• Mayer, Margit J., "Soft und Sander," in Deutsch Vogue (Munich), January 1990.
• Gomez, Edward, "Less is More Luxurious," in Time, 25 June 1990.
• Drier, Melissa, "Jil Sander," in Mirabella (New York), June 1991.
• Mayer, Margit J., "Jil Sander: Ganz Privat," in Marie Claire (Germany), August 1991.
• ——, "A Walk with Jil Sander," in W (New York), 30 September-7 October 1991.
• Livingston, David, "A Vision of Strength: Jil Sander," in the Toronto Globe & Mail, 2 January 1992.
• Miller, Annetta, "The Selling of Jil Sander," in Newsweek, 16 November 1992.
• Schaenen, Eve, "Minimalist No More," in Harper's Bazaar, March 1993.
• Rubenstein, Hal, "The Glorious Haunting of Jil Sander," in Interview, September 1993.
• La Ferla, Ruth, "Pure Style: Jil Sander Talks About Clothes…," in Elle (New York), February 1994.
• Bellafante, Ginia, "Lessons in Lessness," in Time, 7 November 1994.
• Spindler, Amy M., "Luminous Design from Jil Sander," in the New York Times, 8 March 1995.
• "Jil Sander: Coming on Strong," in WWD, 8 March 1995.
• Ozzard, Janet, "Jil Power," in WWD, 17 May 1995.
• Drier, Melissa, "Jil Goes Home," in WWD, 29 September 1997.
• "Milan's Minimal Man," in DNR, 14 January 1998.
• Bowles, Hamish, "More for Less," in Vogue, September 1998.
• "Jil's Smart Set," in WWD, 9 October 1998.
• "Technologically Speaking," in WWD, 5 March 1999.
• Cohen, Edie, "Minimalism with Mouldings," in Interior Design, April 1999.
• "Faded Glory," in WWD, 1 October 1999.
• Mui, Nelson, and Luisa Zargani, "Retailers Still See Viability of Sander's Men's Line," in DNR, 26 January 2000.
• Horyn, Cathy, "Up and Out, Jil Sander Makes a Clean Sweep," in the New York Times, 25 February 2000.
• Givhan, Robin, "Jil Sander and Prada: A Clash of Colors," in the Washington Post, 3 March 2000.
• "No Mending Fences for Jil Sander," in DNR, 7 April 2000.
• "The Council of Fashion Designers of America Honors the Year's Most Influential Designers at the American Fashion Awards 2000 Gala," in PR Newswire, 16 June 2000.
• "Jil Sander Profits Up," in WWD, 6 September 2000.
• Conti, Samantha, "Prada's Wild Ride," in WWD, 18 December 2000.
• Ball, Deborah, "The Brand Rules Fashion's New World," in the Wall Street Journal, 12 March 2001.
• "The Sander Saga," in WWD, 9 July 2001.
• Davis, Boyd (ed.), "Jil Sander," available online at Fashion Windows, www.fashionwindows.com, 3 October 2001.
• Guerrero, Clare, "Jil Sander," online at First Cut, www.firstcut.com, 3 October 2001.
• "Project Profile: Jil Sander Headquarters," online at Rambusch, www.rambusch.com, 3 October 2001.

— Valerie Steele; updated by Mary Ellen Snodgrass

This article is about the fashion designer Jil Sander. For the fashion house of the same name, see Jil Sander AG.

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Jil Sander corporate logo

Heidemarie Jiline 'Jil' Sander (born 27 November 1943) is a minimalist German fashion designer and the founder of the Jil Sander fashion house.

Sander's trademark look, a contemporary, somewhat austere, New Look – originally intended for women conquering executive positions in the 1980s – was that of a precisely cut pantsuit, a slim blouse and a form-fitting coat made of luxurious fabrics in plain grey, beige, blue, black or white. Jil Sander enjoyed almost cult-like followings for her fashions that could all be easily coordinated and have always ranged in the top price segment. For her single-minded focus on understated elegance, high-end materials and refined tailoring, Sander has been described as the Queen of Less, Cashmere-Queen, Master of Minimalism, Cool Blonde, Gentle-Jil or Fashion Reductionist.

Sander's eponymous fashion label still exists today but has been carried on without her involvement since 2004. In early 2009, Sander, after years of absence from the world of fashion, announced the creation of her own fashion consultancy, and her employment by Uniqlo of Japan.

Contents 1 Background 2 Success and expansion 3 New ownership 4 Comeback and abandonment 5 Uniqlo 6 Trivia 6.1 Pictures of Jil Sander 7 References 8 Sources 9 External links

Background

Jil Sander, born on 27 November 1943 in Wesselburen near Hamburg, Germany, grew up with her mother near Hamburg and later studied textile design in Krefeld from where she graduated as a textile engineer in 1963. Having spent two years as an exchange student at University College in Los Angeles, she worked as a fashion editor at German women's magazine Petra before opening her first boutique in a Hamburg suburb in 1967. She started out selling fashion designed by Thierry Mugler or Sonia Rykiel and also a few of her own designs. And, with few ups and downs, she founded her eponymous fashion house, Jil Sander GmbH in 1978.

Showing her collection in Paris in 1975 proved a complete failure, though. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, when the fashion world was dominated by lavish, colorful and glitzy Dynasty-style designs by the likes of Claude Montana with his broad-shouldered leather look, Jil Sander's minimalist collections, with a focus on fabric quality came close to a revolution in the fashion world and were not accepted next to the Parisian catwalks. Her style only started gaining attention in the 1990s.

Success and expansion

Since 1978, Sander marketed her first perfume prominently featuring her countenance. The owner of Lancaster Cosmetics allowed her financially to run ads in glamorous magazines on a large scale for her fashion. The fact that her creations were coordinates which could all be easily combined with each other became a popular characteristic. Sander created the so-called onion look (German: 'Zwiebel-Look') layering various pieces of clothing in one outfit. Later, licenses would be given for eyewear and leather accessory lines. In the 1980's, Sander's collections were first shown in Milan to tackle the international markets more efficiently. As a result, sales were steadily increasing. More fragrances were added to the cosmetics line. The label's luxurious minimalism was a hit in the later 1990's.

Jil Sander AG went public in 1989 and was sold to shareholders on the Frankfurt stock exchange among the first fashion houses to venture on such a step. Sander used the new capital to expand in Asia and North America. Her success overseas resulted in expensively furnished flagship stores in Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Taipei among a big number of others. Sander personally overlooked the design of her stores and strict guidelines were implemented for the sales staff on how to behave and where to stand in the boutiques. At the Paris store, opened in 1993, the Jil Sander collections could be shown on more than 9,000 square feet (840 m²) and four floors. The space at 52 Avenue Montaigne in Paris used to be French fashion designer Madeleine Vionnet's atelier and showroom, a designer whose work has influenced Sander's. In 1998 Jil Sander and German sportswear house Puma jointly launched a successful sneakers collection.

New ownership

Jil Sander's success continued into the mid-1990s. Her company survived the economic crisis in Asia. She found success with a newly launched men’s collection that had been postponed several times before in 1997 and was described as "precision-cut with an emphasis upon light fabrics." A desire with Sander to concentrate more on the creative design rather than the business, resulted in much praise and acclaim from the critics. Nevertheless, Jil needed a financially strong partner realizing that her company was steadily growning. Jil Sander AG was no longer a small privately owned business.

In 1999 Prada Group bought a 75% share in her company. Sander, remained creative designer and became chairwoman in the new joint venture. Six months later, in January 2000, Sander unexpectedly left after confrontations with Prada CEO Patrizio Bertelli, a quick-tempered Italian businessman. An uncompromising perfectionist, Sander had refused to use cheaper fabrics and to bring the traditionally slim fits in line with standard sizes, as demanded by Bertelli in the context of drastic cost cuts and a more affordable mainstream approach. Bertelli also insisted on giving up the contributary workshops in Germany in favor of the shops in Italy owned by Prada. Thus, for the first time in many years, Sander was able to indulge in extensive travelling, sailing, going to the opera and taking care of her gardens after her resignation but the fashion house floundered both creatively and financially without Sander.

Comeback and abandonment

Sander returned to the company as head designer and partner in a surprise decision in May 2003, after her noncompete clause had expired. Officially, Bertelli "approached Ms. Sander and began negotiating a truce". ^[1] Ironically, Bertelli had, with regard to Sander's departure in 2000, boldly stated before: "A brand as strong as Jil Sander doesn't need to rely on the name of a designer". ^[2] Sander's return was celebrated unanimously by the international press. Sander's designs, bearing the Jil Sander signature with a more feminine look, were a hit with both customers and critics. Designing two collections which were both showcased in Milan, Sander altered Prada-appointed designer Milan Vukmirovic’s existing sketches for the men’s collection, redesigned some of the boutiques and audited the books herself.

However, in November 2004, Sander terminated cooperation with Prada for good and resigned from her post again after insurmountable differences with Mr. Bertelli. Prada announced in an official statement that "the decision by Patrizio Bertelli [...] and Ms. Sander to end her involvement in the company was amicable."^[3] Sander subsequently withrew from the fashion world.

Uniqlo

On March 17, 2009 Sander announced the creation of her own fashion consultancy.^[4][5] The new company's first client will be Fast Retailing of Japan with its Uniqlo label for whom Sander is to oversee special upcoming womenswear and menswear collections.^[6][7] Sander's sub-label for Uniqlo will be named +J and "will consist of about 40 pieces for men and 100 for women, including coats, jackets, knitwear, T-shirts and accessories"^[8] to be presented in fall 2009.^[9]

Fashion Week Daily reported on November 18, 2009 that the first Uniqlo +J collection was so popular that Uniqlo has asked Sander to continue designing and expanding the +J line.

Trivia

Lists of miscellaneous information should be avoided. Please relocate any relevant information into appropriate sections or articles. (July 2008)

• Jil Sander was awarded the Bundesverdienstkreuz by the Federal Republic of Germany for her achievements in the fashion industry.^{[citation needed]}

Pictures of Jil Sander

• Autographed picture with signature
• Jil Sander with male models (2004). Sketch portrait of Jil Sander by Francois Berthoud.
• Iconic photograph once used in a perfume media campaign

References

1. ^ IHT ’Second Coming’ of Jil Sander (26 Feb 2004)
2. ^ The Independent Fashion & Style (25 Nov 2004)
3. ^ IHT Yet Again, Jil Sander and Prada Part Ways (17 Nov 2004)
4. ^ Onward Holdings Co. Press statement regarding Jil Sander consulting agreement (17 Apr 2009)
5. ^ Japan Today Fast Retailing signs consulting contract with fashion designer Jil Sander (18 Mar 2009)
6. ^ Reuters Jil Sander teams up with Japan budget fashion label (23 Mar 2009)
7. ^ WSJ Fast Retailing Eyes Intl Push With Jil Sander Tie-Up (17 Mar 2009)
8. ^ WWD Jil Sander's Collection for Uniqlo Will Be Called +J (07 July 2009)
9. ^ Drapersonline Uniqlo reveals details of Jil Sander sub-brand (09 July 2009)

Sources

• Exile's Return Slate, Oct. 13, 2003
• 10 Questions: Jil Sander Time, September 9, 2003
• Infomat Who's Who: Jil Sander (last update: 1997)
• Bloomberg: Prada Sells Jil Sander February 23, 2006
• The Independent: Vandevelde snaps up Jil Sander for £68m February 24, 2006
• Freshness: Jil Sander for Uniqlo March 19, 2009
• Jil For Spring Fashion Week Daily, November 18, 2009

External links

• Jil Sander (company) official website
• Jil Sander collection at Uniqlo
• Jil Sander collections at style.com

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