Jil Sander – A conversation with a legend

Pöseldorf: The place where it all began

Perhaps it’s this tiny courtyard, charmingly overgrown with ivy and barely visible from the street. Or maybe the shops, strung like pearls along a few meters of sidewalk. It is definitely the peace and quiet that envelops the small network of streets between the glittering Alster Lake and broad Mittelweg avenue. Yes, Pöseldorf, this charming “village” in the middle of the German city of Hamburg, really can be described as an oasis. Those who love the area and have lived here in their stately villas for generations still refer to the neighborhood as “Hamburg 13,” its former postal code. The houses are painted such a radiant white they almost hurt your eyes. The word is that this type of beauty is impossible to buy. And it’s true – almost none of the villas in Pöseldorf are for sale because they are passed down from generation to generation. Visitors to the area are often stunned by this gem of a neighborhood with it delightful ambience. Because this diamond is unique, as unique as the designs created by Jil Sander.

The German designer, it must be said, was more than a fashion pioneer. She was one of the people who made Pöseldorf fashionable in the 1970s. Jil Sander opened her first store right here on Milchstraße in 1968, a shop with a black facade. The neighborhood was appalled by the color and told her that it wouldn’t do. Her response: “It’s not black, it’s dark gray.” The store looks virtually the same today. It’s only a two-minute walk from here to her current studio, which is located right next to her magnificent villa.

Jil Sander: How the "Queen of Clean" Changed Women's Fashion

Driven by her mission, her constant search for perfection, Jil Sander has come a long way. Born in the post-war period in Schleswig-Holstein, north of Hamburg, she grew up in modest circumstances. In the late 1960s, she sold her car and took out a loan in order to buy a boutique in upscale Hamburg-Pöseldorf. In 1974 she launched her first collection, which she showed in Paris only a year later. In the 1980s, Jil Sander made a name for herself designing business attire for women that was less restricting and easier to combine.

I didn’t want to decorate women, I wanted to underscore their personality. Treating a person with respect is also a function of clothing,” she told German magazine Stern. With this visionary approach and a cut of clothing that made fashion simpler and more natural looking, Jil Sander became known as the “Queen of Clean.”

The Art of Uncompromising Aesthetics

Her business prospered. She also revolutionized classic menswear and was the first designer to introduce more form-fitting business suits for men. She launched perfumes, for which she initially appeared in ads herself, and they became bestsellers. In 1999, Sander sold her stake in her company – a publicly listed company by then – to Prada, and left the enterprise in 2000, only to return for a year in 2003. In 2009, she began collaborating on and off with Japanese label Uniqlo, and launched her +J collection to international acclaim. Jil Sander once described her striving for perfection like this:

All of these decisions are made under immense pressure and with absolute concentration. And after all the stress, it’s immensely rewarding to arrive at the right solution. Why deprive yourself of this satisfaction?”

One term that reflects her work, but which she doesn’t like in the least, is minimalism. Sander claims that she’s not a minimalist at all, quite the contrary: “The cost of the fabrics I have worked with reflects a different kind of opulence. Numerous fittings and a huge amount of effort are required before I can achieve the purism that I’m looking for. You have to invest a lot of time and patience to imbue a piece of clothing with energy.”

When you meet Jil Sander, you can’t ignore her aura, of course, but you also feel the wonderful warmth that surrounds her. She is “merciless” with regard to fulfilling her mission. In the past, office windowsills were made to slope downward so that you couldn’t place a houseplant on them. Her comment: “I always want to make my surroundings more beautiful. This started in my childhood when I would advise family members on what to wear. I ponder everything that bothers me, be it a perfume bottle or a building. In any case, the world will never be finished because our sense of coherence changes over time.” Jil Sander, now 81, is still working. Her current design project may be a secret, but it’s almost finished. She spent two years putting together her precious coffee table book “Jil Sander by Jil Sander,” which was recently published.

Jil Sander on Vision, Change, and Essence

Ms. Sander, you’re the world’s most influential woman in German fashion design. What’s your definition of “modernity”?

To me it’s not only a matter of a designed object but of an inquisitive and open-minded atmosphere. That’s something we need again today. During the pandemic, people had a lot of time to think about and reassess things. I notice a reorientation particularly in the younger generation, which is throwing things out and focusing on essentials. That kind of energy is necessary for finding a new aesthetic and functional approach.

Were you aware how revolutionary your designs were right from the start?

Revolutionary is a strong word. But I tried to move fashion forward. When I was starting out, there was very little in the way of modern understatement available, particularly for women. Fashion had established a fixed role for women, which limited their personal development. My vision was to change that.

Did you ever question your vision? Perhaps modify or adapt it?

It became more entrenched over time and responded to changes in society. Art and architecture are often more advanced than fashion in this regard. I allowed them to stimulate me.

Did your definition of modernity change over time?

No, but in my experience, modernity was no longer important. We were already living in the postmodern era.

The role of timeless fashion

What role do design and quality play when it comes to timeless fashion?

I don’t believe in timeless fashion. Fashion is always the child of its time. But it takes good design and good quality to express it. It isn’t easy to reflect a particular period. What was always important to me in my work was avoiding the tired solutions of the past.

When they hear the word “timeless” many people think of classic basics. What’s your association with the word?

Basics are completely dependent on a particular time. Take the suit, for instance. You can tell immediately if it’s still in style. A classic has to be constantly redefined, its proportions, its consideration of technical developments, the search for something new. A classic is a concrete result, not a formula you can apply.

How has your design changed the fashion world for each one of us?

That’s for others to decide.

But what characterizes the perfect article of clothing in your opinion?

To me it’s very important how a person feels in what they’re wearing. It can be both empowering and liberating if the fabric and cut express a modern attitude. To me, design is about arriving in the present.

Favorite item of clothing & color choices

Do you have a favorite item of clothing?

I need a white shirt that I can repeatedly update according to the times and a well-fitting T-shirt made of Egyptian cotton. I call this my health shirt. The cotton is so fine that I can no longer stand to have any other fabric against my skin. If I don’t have enough of those T-shirts, I’m in big trouble. This is why I’ve integrated them into every collection since the beginning.

Beige, black and dark blue are all colors associated with timeless fashion. What about stronger colors?

I can’t answer that question hypothetically because to me, the interplay between textiles and colors is far too important. It always depends how a particular shade of color presents itself in a particular fabric. You can achieve a pretty interesting effect with high-quality textiles and strong colors, but my favorite is still dark blue, in all its variations.

You recently released your book “Jil Sander by Jil Sander.” What have you learned about your own work?

The learning process began with a very condensed museum exhibition that we put on in Frankfurt in 2017. We had digitized our archive and were paying close attention to the past. The Jil Sander collections all showed a lot of variety. Working on the book confirmed my view that my designs had not been limited to business attire. There were many feminine looks among all the pant and suit designs.“Jil Sander by Jil Sander” includes a great many closeups of my careful focus on detail. I was happy to see those details bearing up to closer scrutiny.

When is a timeless outfit not boring?

When it’s not timeless.

The values of being a designer and businesswoman

What’s the most important thing about a wardrobe to keep in mind?

I don’t want to tell anybody what to do. In the end, everyone has to make their own decision about fashion and ask themself: Do I feel good about myself in these clothes? Can I move and interact freely and confidently with others? Do people listen to what I’m saying or do they just notice what I’m wearing? I like to encourage people to try on my designs and then listen to what their inner voice is telling them.

Fashion says a lot about who we are. What are we saying about ourselves when we wear timeless clothing?

The luxury industry has changed a lot in recent years. It’s all about hype, accessories and short-lived trends.

As a designer and businesswoman today, what would your role be?

Like I’ve said, I don’t like to talk about “timeless looks,” but rather about a timeless attitude that has to constantly adapt to the aesthetic criteria of the present, in terms of fashion too. My last +J collection was not so long ago, and I’m still designing things. I’m currently finishing up a project that I’m very pleased with.

One last question to finish with: In conversations with architects, artists or designers outside Germany, your name is always the only one that comes up. Are you aware just how influential you have been around the world?

That may be the case for the fashion industry, but there are many great German designers, of course. I am always quite taken aback to receive this kind of recognition – from outside Germany as well. I never had time to notice things like that during my career.