Jil Sander S/S 2021 Milan

[perfect blue]

Their Jil Sander is well-made but artistically, completely unremarkable.

 

[rip_ian curtis]

Their Jil Sander is well-made but artistically, completely unremarkable.

Their clothes and collections are totally unremarkable, yes, but I think the only thing that still keeps up to the standards of the good old Jil Sander is the campaigns. They are undeniably beautiful and ”Jil Sander”.

 

[Reggie63]

I know that the collections are derivative and unexciting. But as a fan of Jil Sander the person, her aesthetic, her values and someone who dresses almost exclusively in minimalistic clothes, I can't dismiss the brand entirely, for several reasons.

One: they make incredibly made clothes that put a lot of other so called luxury brands to shame. The brand's ethos is all about fantastic quality. While there were some times that the quality of the clothes they produced weren't up to snuff (is it just me, or are the clothes produced during Raf's tenure lacking in quality? I compare them with stuff made during JS' return and now, and it's just so lacking in construction and fabric), the Meier's JS are thankfully well made and have that heirloom quality. There are brands like Loro Piana, Agnona, etc. that always stand for superlative quality (and I love them for that) however, they mostly don't have that minimalistic core that permeates their clothes, which brings me to my second point.

Two: they are one of the few brands that stick to minimalism. JS clothes now are so similar to whatever it being produced by COS and whatever Philo has done and as a high fashion brand, they really ought to deliver more and push minimalism forward. Otherwise, what's the point? However, there are such few high-end brands doing minimalistic clothes. Old favorites like Céline, Prada, Helmut Lang have abandoned the aesthetic while others such as Chalayan and Lemaire have such limited distribution. Minimalism obsessives are thankful that Jil Sander is coming out with +J. More affordable and well designed clothes are more than welcome, but that being said there's just some things that can't replace a well cut coat done in an incredibly expensive fabric that falls and flows just so. That's where this brand comes in.

Three: the brand has not sold out (yet). Sure, there's some slight nod to street wear (I mean, Luke is there) and there are a few pieces (literally, maybe just a t-shirt, a fabric tote bag and a jacket) with the JIL SANDER logo printed front and center to get some money from the tacky moneyed set, but I am happy that the Meiers and the brand's management have mostly respected the heritage set by its founder. In addition to superlative quality, the brand has never resorted to cheap gimmicks and never reached out to social media nitwits to sell products (well, at least not that I know of). Their products seem to have not been focused group to death in growth markets. Their ad campaigns and new store design convey a wonderful and coherent visual identity. They've resisted going where most brands are now, and I respect them for that.

These reasons do NOT excuse for this derivative effort. I guess I'm just saying, as some who has minimalism as an aesthetic core, I long for the creativity and beauty that JIL SANDER HERSELF and PATRICK VAN OMMESLAEGHE has given us, I wish for a return to form for this brand and I remain thankful that the brand still exists.