Jil Sander Departing Namesake Brand for the Third Time

[tricotineacetat]

Let's hope her design team is a bit more innovative than what she's brought to us the past 3 seasons

I suppose you didn't check on any of the pieces from her FW'13 runway collection in person, especially her women's outerwear. The pattern engineering is intricate and by far more innovative than what most other designers are doing - These are really 3D designed patterns, not just a front and a back piece with a dart to shape it in place. Those pieces could probably be rivaled only by someone like Yohji or Junya Watanabe.

Otherwise, I am extremely sorry to hear of her departure. I would be very cautious to make any guesses as per why she left, taking into account that we know nothing of the circumstances that lead to her decision.

 

[softgrey]

i agree tric...
esp about the outerwear...
i tried on an amazing black cashmere coat from fall 13...
i am still thinking about it...
such a great piece- elegant, modern, soft and sexy while sill being tailored and strong..
and the softest cashmere one can imagine!

sad to hear this news...

 

[tricotineacetat]

What an ironic twist of fate that I went to see her runway collection in her Hamburg store yesterday while I was there for business. I don't really understand the stigmatization of her direction being so much more 'classical' than Raf's - less flash-y, yes. But the intricacy of her shapes and the volumes she sought for had an almost Couture-like quality that brought to mind Balenciaga of the 60ies. Hardly something I'd consider to be 'basic'.

 

[Creative]

^ me too... the audacity/stupidity of the first page is... wow... second-hand embarrassement.

Of all people and women, in the business, she's the one that's rarely had it easy and is one the few that seem to have actual values and left when they were getting strangled by money-makers, not when on a whim and need for a vacation. Her comeback wasn't as impressive as her previous comeback but I was still glad to see someone do her thing and do it right, after all these years and tasting the bitter side of her own field.

It's truly ridiculous how not creating some **** for people to get snapped on the street makes you a loser as a designer. In a way I'm sure she'll enjoy the break... I know I would...

No one forced her to join Prada. It was her decision. And she said she didn't take the necessary amount of time to think about it, so it's her fault too. In fact, there’s no one else to blame. She’s old enough to know what selling her name means.

And yes, this just feels funny at this point considering it's the THIRD time she has left her own brand by 'personal' matters. So, what I don't get is why someone could be surprised by the 'mockery' in the first page (as long as there isn’t anything health related behind her decision; but that’s something we don’t know and it wasn’t the reason when she left the previous times).

 

[tricotineacetat]

Yes, people like Jil and Helmut Lang chose for their own to sell to Prada. Regardless of, Maurizio Bertelli's intentions for the brands weren't exactly respectful of either one designers' brand values and the quality of their clothes deteriorated rapidly in those years. I fully understand why both designers eventually resigned and wasn't surprised about someone like Hedi Slimane holding the strings so tightly controlling Saint Laurent's overall brand layout when he signed a contract with PPR, he obviously learned from the mistakes made by Helmut and Jil.

Regardless of, I don't think there is anything wrong with Jil Sander (or any other designer) resigning from her role as creative director for private reasons. She has earned her credibilities way beyond any younger designer that may have come to fame in the last 5-10 years and is entitled to focus on her private life just like anybody else if she so pleases to - after all, she held no further responsibilities for the brand, it was nothing but a liscensed name (unlike when she sold it to Prada) by the time she returned last year.

 

[Creative]

I don't think there's anything wrong with resigning, but the ‘funny-shock’ people had is totally understandable. Anyway, according to the article posted above, it looks like she was fired.

And yes, Hedi was smart when he asked for total control to manage YSL and when he refused to create his own brand under the LVMH umbrella; Helmut and Jil weren't.

 

[ChristianThomas]

It's a shame that leaving for the third time so soon after returning will damage her credibility, nobody likes to work with someone who always unexpectedly quits, whatever the reason may be.

I hope she and her family are well and will do well.

 

[Melancholybaby]

^ me too... the audacity/stupidity of the first page is... wow... second-hand embarrassement.

Of all people and women, in the business, she's the one that's rarely had it easy and is one the few that seem to have actual values and left when they were getting strangled by money-makers, not when on a whim and need for a vacation. Her comeback wasn't as impressive as her previous comeback but I was still glad to see someone do her thing and do it right, after all these years and tasting the bitter side of her own field.

It's truly ridiculous how not creating some **** for people to get snapped on the street makes you a loser as a designer. In a way I'm sure she'll enjoy the break... I know I would...

Just because someone may not find Jil's work appealing, it doesn't mean they only appreciate Anna Dello Russo's kind of style. Taste is subjective, no need to be snotty and rude.

 

[tatouejeremie]

Anyway, according to the article posted above, it looks like she was fired.

actually not:

"The Milan-based firm attributed Sander’s sudden exit to personal reasons — which is often a euphemism for being fired. Well-placed sources insisted that in this case the personal reasons are truly that and involve Sander’s longtime partner. No further details could be learned."

 

[Scott]

I don't think there's anything wrong with resigning, but the ‘funny-shock’ people had is totally understandable. Anyway, according to the article posted above, it looks like she was fired.

And yes, Hedi was smart when he asked for total control to manage YSL and when he refused to create his own brand under the LVMH umbrella; Helmut and Jil weren't.

let's remember too creative,during that era,all this conglomerate stuff was still very new to the industry…prada was only just beginning to open itself up and jil and helmut had been independent their entire careers before that so it seemed like an opportunity for investment. while they may have been naive to the changing game of fashion and how corporate fashion worked at the time,it certainly did not warrant bertelli in treating them like second-rate employees at a label they themselves were responsible for creating from the ground up….he simply disrespected them as designers and even more for the high standards they had in quality.

anyway,i find your relentless indignation of jil terribly childish especially not being privy to all the facts in this instance. why is that?

 

[mackos]

That's quite sad, I was really anticipating Jil's return and actually started warming up her recent collections. I loved F/W 2013 and was waiting for more to come.

Whatever the reasons are, I hope she'll do well.

 

[educo]

Good God, woman. Pull yourself together!

Hahah! You just read my mind!

 

[educo]

As much as I was terribly happy to see her back, I must admit what she produced left me quite disappointed.

With her being 70, I understand she might want to take a step back. Although, I would love to know the reasons why she came back in the first place.

Now, let the guessing game start. I personally have no idea of who's going to replace her

That's my question: Why did she even bother coming back? Especially at her age? There's a part of me that feels like even though she sold her company ages ago, she feels like it's still hers and has some resentment about having to sell majority of the company, only to watch it change hands and designers.

I don't think she realized how much of a machine the whole process has been and even though we all loved her coming back, she was a bit out of touch and inflexible with the way her company is being managed.

 

[educo]

Very sad, love that first come-back collection too. They should consider Paulo Melim Andersson or Hussein Chalayan, I think either will be a good fit.

Wow, Chalayan? I'd love to see how he would run with this.

 

[softgrey]

What an ironic twist of fate that I went to see her runway collection in her Hamburg store yesterday while I was there for business. I don't really understand the stigmatization of her direction being so much more 'classical' than Raf's - less flash-y, yes. But the intricacy of her shapes and the volumes she sought for had an almost Couture-like quality that brought to mind Balenciaga of the 60ies. Hardly something I'd consider to be 'basic'.

yah- definitely updated balenciaga in terms of the volume and shape...
spring 13 was like that as well...

but not in a retro or costume-y way...
totally modern and wearable and flattering and elegant...
really useful clothing that feels good when you wear it...
not to mention really comfortable and easy...
which all translates to 'sexy' in my book...

 

[tricotineacetat]

yah- definitely updated balenciaga in terms of the volume and shape...
spring 13 was like that as well...

but not in a retro or costume-y way...
totally modern and wearable and flattering and elegant...
really useful clothing that feels good when you wear it...
not to mention really comfortable and easy...
which all translates to 'sexy' in my book...

I agree on all the above (though some of the coats and jacket shapes demand for a very well coordinated choice of bottoms and footwear), I do think it would be wise to invest in Jil Sander while the woman still had her hands in design - just as with the incredible J+ down jackets and coats she did for Uniqlo... It might very well be the last chance to get your hands on an original Jil Sander.

Also, did you notice the deliciousness of her colour palette this season? OH MY...!! The prussian blues, the mustard yellow and tangerine orange... People credit Raf Simons for his technicolor-clashed outings, but these ones I found SO much more sensitive and strong in their own right.

 

[Creative]

let's remember too creative,during that era,all this conglomerate stuff was still very new to the industry…prada was only just beginning to open itself up and jil and helmut had been independent their entire careers before that so it seemed like an opportunity for investment. while they may have been naive to the changing game of fashion and how corporate fashion worked at the time,it certainly did not warrant bertelli in treating them like second-rate employees at a label they themselves were responsible for creating from the ground up….he simply disrespected them as designers and even more for the high standards they had in quality.

anyway,i find your relentless indignation of jil terribly childish especially not being privy to all the facts in this instance. why is that?

Childish? Relentless indignation? I actually like Jil and what she does (in general). The problem for you, I guess, is that I’m not biased. I can like someone and be critical with her or find funny a certain situation in which she is involved, which is something that just veeeeeeery few people in this forum do (no matter if they are models, photographers, designers, editors…). And I don’t know if you know, but when she came back for the first time after having all those problems with Bertelli, he was still in charge of the company.

I just answered MulletProof when she was “second-hand embarrassed” by the mockery. It’s very common for a designer to leave her own brand for personal reasons three times, isn’t it?

actually not:

Yeah, totally misread it!

 

[Cold]

Bertelli was actually the one who asked Jil to return after the company suffered under Vukmirovic. It's not like she forced them to take her back the second time.

I think it's just the insensitivity towards the matter that Mulletproof pointed out. Her departing the label may be a hysterical matter to some, or at the very least amusing, but given the history of her departures I personally don't find anything amusing about it especially the third time with the cause being as vague as 'personal reasons'.

 

[tricotineacetat]

I personally don't find anything amusing about it especially the third time with the cause being as vague as 'personal reasons'.

The woman always sought to protect her privacy and despite the fact that having made herself a name with her body of work, Jil Sander never sought to be in the limelight as a public persona. The article states a vague reason why she made that decision and she is absolutely entitled to decide for whatever reason she thinks has to come prior to designing. There is a pressure there from the public eye thinking that designers should abide to their duties no matter what the cost in their private lives, why is that so? On the contrary, we have someone like Phoebe Philo who insisted on taking maternity leaves both at Chloé and at Céline and was allowed to do so without a damage on her public reputation.

 

[Cold]

The woman always sought to protect her privacy and despite the fact that having made herself a name with her body of work, Jil Sander never sought to be in the limelight as a public persona. The article states a vague reason why she made that decision and she is absolutely entitled to decide for whatever reason she thinks has to come prior to designing. There is a pressure there from the public eye thinking that designers should abide to their duties no matter what the cost in their private lives, why is that so? On the contrary, we have someone like Phoebe Philo who insisted on taking maternity leaves both at Chloé and at Céline and was allowed to do so without a damage on her public reputation.

I'm aware and I respect her decision. I wasn't arguing against her reason, she has always remained true to her conscience. I was responding towards others reaction of her leaving the third time.