The German fashion designer advanced to become one of the most internationally renowned designers in the 1970s. For over 30 years, she has built a name in the fashion industry that has made her popular around the world. Jil Sander started a fashion boutique in Hamburg in 1967, which she expanded into one of the most important fashion companies, with which she set trends for many years. She helped German fashion gain recognition. Sander realized her ideas in clear, strict lines as an elegant style that was visible in the finest materials…
Jil Sander was born Heidemarie Jiline Sander on November 27, 1943 in Wesselburen near Hamburg.
Jil Sander spent her childhood and youth in Wesselburen. She showed exceptional fashion awareness from an early age, as she donned trousers instead of petticoats in the 1950s. After attending secondary school, Sander began studying textile engineering. After graduating, she relocated to the United States. There she worked in Los Angeles as an editorial assistant for the magazine “McCalls”. Two years later she returned to Germany. She settled in her hometown of Wesselburen and worked as a fashion journalist in Hamburg for the magazine “Constanze” and later for “Petra”.
In 1967, Sander became self-employed. She opened her first fashion boutique in Hamburg’s Pöseldorf district in the Milchstrasse, where she offered fashion from Paris as well as her own designs. In 1974 she presented her own collection to the public for the first time, but she didn’t make a big splash with it at first. It was only two years later that the onion look or layered look and combination fashion helped her to achieve great success. Just two years later, in 1978, Sander was the first German designer to complement her fashion with the famous “Jil Sander Woman Pur” care range. She advertised her perfume with her own face. In the same year, Japanese fashion magazine “High Fashion” listed Sander as one of the world’s top twelve fashion designers. In the United States, she made a name for herself as the “Queen of the Less” with the emphasis on simplicity of her style.
In 1983, Sander gained a foothold in the Italian market with her fashion. Branches followed in New York, in Asian cities and in Paris. In 1984 she designed accessories and eyewear, and in 1986 leather coats, knitwear, ties and handkerchiefs completed the Sanders creative range. Their products had long since become respected branded goods. She became one of the most important leaders in the international fashion market and not only made German fashion popular at home and around the world, but also set new trends. Sander became the most famous German fashion designer. She attached great importance to the quality not only of the material, but also of the workmanship and the design. The fashion lady personally preferred trouser suits and simple blazers. In general, she tended towards simplicity in fashion.
Sander avoided superfluous details, while still tending toward the avant-garde. She had made this concept her maxim and distinguished her design. Sander realized her ideas in clear, strict lines as an elegant style that was visible in the finest materials. In addition to the great success in fashion, Sander also shone as an entrepreneur. She built up an international company. In 1989 her company became a public company and was listed on the stock exchange. In 1993 she opened the first flagship store in the international fashion metropolis Paris, with which she presented current fashion trends on more than 900 square meters on four floors. In 1997 she included menswear in her collection for the first time. In 1999, the Sanders company was transferred to the Italian Prada Group, which had acquired the majority of the shares.
Initially, the designer was to continue to be responsible for designing the collections, but she quickly gave up this job due to misunderstandings with the new management. At the beginning of 2000, Sander retired as CEO of Jil Sander AG. With sales of 226.6 million Deutschmarks, the Jil Sander group was one of the most profitable on the international fashion market. In May 2003, Sander returned to her former company as a designer. In this function she gave Prada a new business success with the presentation of their women’s collection in autumn 2003. Due to persistent differences with the former Gucci manager Gian Giacomo Ferraris, who took over the management from Jil Sander and ordered a controversial austerity plan, Sander separated again in mid-November 2004 and finally from the Hamburg fashion company she had founded.
Shortly before, her spring collection 2005 had been enthusiastically celebrated.
Jil Sander holds the Federal Cross of Merit and lives in Hamburg.
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Is Jil Sander a luxury brand?
JIL SANDER, the high-end luxury brand, is the epitome of modernity and sophistication. Its unconditional dedication to design combines elegance and purity with innovative materials and exceptional craftsmanship.
What is Jil Sander famous for?
Jil Sander, in full Heidemarie Jiline Sander, (born November 27, 1943, Wesselburen, Germany), German fashion designer and founder of the Jil Sander label, noted for her luxurious understated clothing and influence on minimalist fashion.
Who owns Jill Sander?
Fashion brand Jil Sander has passed into Italian hands as the OTB Group of Diesel founder Renzo Rosso becomes the new owner.
Who inspired Jil Sander?
Raised in northern Germany, Jil Sander was influenced by the puritanical functionality of Bauhaus, a German art school movement of the 1920s.
How do you pronounce Jil Sander brand?
How to pronounce Jil Sander. The name might look easy to pronounce, but, if you want to make the German designer’s name justice, say goodbye to the American -er and soft -s sound. Here’s how pronounce Jil Sander, the German way: JIL ZAHN-DAH.
Why did Jil Sander leave?
Sander founded the brand, known for its minimalist aesthetic, in Hamburg, Germany, in 1968. In 1999, she sold 75 percent of her company to Prada Group, staying on as creative director and chairwoman, but unexpectedly resigned shortly afterwards, following disagreements with Prada CEO Patrizio Bertelli.
