Jil Sander

[Johnny]

Originally posted by helena@Nov 16 2004, 12:06 PM
I beg to differ johnny. The spring summer Sander collection is spot on I think. She has moved on & is gaining her stride.

...and was there not a particular silvery white skirt you were raving about.....?

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One-offs aside, I stand by my assesment.

 

[softgrey]

well...i think the entire industry disagrees with you johnny...everyone i know was swooning over her first comeback women's collection this past spring 04 ..personally i bought a piece myself... and i love love love it...

her whole aesthetic became a bit softer and more ethereal...more modern and not so rigid...i think she is better than ever...i have no idea what this is about...i'll be very interested to see what info leaks out in the next few days or so...

 

[helena]

but the spring collection is fantastic. really beautiful.

 

[mikeijames]

Originally posted by Johnny@Nov 16 2004, 12:01 PM
I think she is, unfortunately, very much a "nineties" aesthetic designer (I know she was around before that but as far as I know it is during the 90s that she became properly successful). She didn't seem to me to be able to move on very much. In addition, I don't think the label could recover properly from the period where she wasn't there. I...I remember seeing a women's Jil Sander suit for the first time and being bowled over by the quality of it - the weight of the fabric, the depth of the colour, the cut, the simplicity. To me, that wasn't there any more.

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i could not agree more. i felt that when jil came back she tried to do something girly and flirty which, in all fairness, does represent a more modern aesthetic, but it just did not ring true to the jil sander that many of us grew to love in the nineties. i wish she would have held out a couple of more seasons because i would bet my bacon that that spare, luxurious minimalism is on the way back in.

 

[Atelier]

Same story, different article (from WWD

Tuesday November 16, 2004
Jil Sander Exits

It was a short-lived reunion: Prada Group said Tuesday that Jil Sander has left the company that bears her name.

No further details were yet available, but Sander's departure comes just over a year after she rejoined the company after a bitter falling out with Prada Group head Patrizio Bertelli. Despite the occasional whispers over the last few months of clashes between her and Bertelli, things seemed to be on the right track the second time around. Only last month, Sander said of Bertelli, “Maybe when I made the joint venture with Prada, I didn’t take the time to understand whom I was marrying. The more we work together, the more we realize that we are similar. We are both entrepreneurs. We understand how to respect one another.”

While the house is still in the red, the collection Sander showed in Milan in October, which was centered in the shirt, met with rave reviews and retailers highlighted it as one of the standouts of the season.

Please check Wednesday's edition of WWD for a full report.

 

[Urban Stylin]

does anyone else think that ms sander may be the difficult person?

 

[nqth]

I am totally shocked. I think the Jil Sander's exit must not be connected with finacial conditions of her company.

It's such sad news. I love her latest looks.

 

[nqth]

Some more articles:

from the times online.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-1362009,00.html

Fashion icon walks away from label she created
By Emily Davies, Fashion Writer



THE mood of modern fashion can be tracked in the career of Jil Sander, who announced yesterday that she was leaving her label.
Sander established the label 21 years ago, sold it to Prada in 1999, returning briefly in 2003 before leaving it once more.



She is a rare find, revered by the fashion world and the creator of a label that does sell clothes. When she returned to the house as creative director last year, her influence on the collections helped to boost sales. In the first six months of the current year revenues rose by 4 per cent to £45.8 million.

She has an unrivalled reputation as the (successful) working woman’s designer. But fashion has moved on, away from Sander’s stark vision of what it means to be stylish. She gave women a way of dressing that was at once intelligent, functional and elegant. Her signature was jaggedly simple fashion, from asymmetrically sliced cashmere sweaters to narrow trouser-suits to wear to the office.

Her famous suits came in innovative fabrics and combined German efficiency with a romantic, artsy originality. Yet fashion’s new mood jars with her sharp lines and monochromatic tones. Soft and slightly quirky, it is a wholly different look from the vestiges of minimalism that have been lingering since the Nineties. It is more of a fundamental shift than the trend-based debate of drainpipe trousers v pencil-skirt or leopard print v stripes. Crucially, when Sander tried a floatier look earlier this year, acclaim was muted.

For several years now, fashion has not been about iconic names; after the departure of Tom Ford, who left Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent in April, fashion has become less concerned with having a canon of pivotal individuals and more dependent on a myriad mix of inspirations.

Yesterday the German house made a terse announcement: “Jil Sander AG and designer Jil Sander have agreed amicably to terminate their co-operation,” a spokesman said.

Sander founded the house in 1973; in 1999, she sold 75 per cent to Prada for £50 million. Shortly afterwards she left, having fallen out with Patrizio Bertelli, Prada’s chairman and the husband of its designer, Miuccia Prada. She sold the 25 per cent stake she still held.

This time dissatisfaction with working arrangements and a disagreement with the Prada board are thought to be behind her departure.

It is hard not to see this as a watershed. Sander’s strength — the tailored suits, the rigour of her aesthetic — is not as necessary as when she broke through in the Eighties and Nineties. Even the most corporate executive dresses more casually now. Fashion will be the poorer, but may not miss her as much as it thinks.

And vogue.co.uk

JIL SANDER QUITS

JIL SANDER has given her eponymous label up again. The German designer, who founded her label in 1973, sold it to Prada in 2000 shortly before leaving amid heated speculation that she was not getting on with Prada boss Patrizio Bertelli. Having returned in 2003, to the resounding approval of the international fashion press who deemed her latest collection one of the hits of spring/summer 2005, it seems that life has failed to get any better at the headquarters in Milan. The Prada Group announced today that Sander has left the company, but have failed to give any further details as yet. While rumours have continued to circulate in the industry about her strained relationship with Bertelli, Sander recently made an effort to put the record straight. "Maybe when I made the joint venture with Prada, I didn't take the time to understand whom I was marrying," she told Women's Wear Daily. "The more we work together, the more we realise that we are similar. We are both entrepreneurs. We understand how to respect one another." It seems that respect was not enough, however. (November 16 2004, PM)

 

[Spacemiu]

Very very sad indeed.

I don't think Jill's creative spirit jived well with big buissness prada group.

 

[faust]

Originally posted by Urban Stylin@Nov 16 2004, 02:35 PM
does anyone else think that ms sander may be the difficult person?

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If you call demanding maintanence of the highest standards from the Prada Group by Jil Sander, just as she demanded of her self being difficult, then yes, she is a difficult person - and I applaud her for that.

 

[ionn24]

Yes I agree with Faust... I think that she is one of the few who demands so much out of every single detail that she drives everyone insane(may be also herself, who knows!!!) which I think that ultimately make her collection simple but so beautifully constructed in detail.

I was bowled over her new collection with her Men's suits which I got myself one. I am soooo disappointed that she is leaving..

I think that the problem with any simple design is that people question why they would pay such a huge amount of money for a simple design if they are not famous like PRADA... and may be that's why she needed the financial backing for Prada since she is not making a lot already.

It is sad to see her go..

I think she should just start a new line again.

 

[AlexN]

Originally posted by ionn24@Nov 16 2004, 09:02 PM
I think she should just start a new line again.

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Agreed. A Prada-less fresh start would be good.

 

[kimair]

here's the article from today's WWD:

Wednesday November 17, 2004

Sander and Bertelli Split Again

By Amanda Kaiser

MILAN — It’s déjà vu all over again at Jil Sander: Prada Group surprised the fashion world Tuesday by revealing that Sander has once again left the company that bears her name.

Disclosure of Sander’s departure came in the form of a brief technical filing through the German stock exchange, where shares of the Jil Sander company are still listed. “Jil Sander AG, the Hamburg fashion company, and designer Jil Sander announced that they have amicably agreed to terminate their cooperation,” the statement said.

The collection will be designed by an in-house design team “for right now,” a Prada Group spokesman said.

It marks the second time in four years that Sander has left, and once again it appears to result from insurmountable clashes between her and Prada chief executive officer Patrizio Bertelli.

The first time Sander departed the company she founded more than 30 years ago was in 2000, just months after selling it to Prada. Bertelli famously quipped in response: “A brand that’s as strong as Jil Sander doesn’t need to rely on the name of a designer. It’s not the name that counts, but the quality of the product.” A few months later, he brought in Milan Vukmirovic as creative director and immediately after the brand’s image began to disintegrate amid hostile reviews.

Given the fashion community’s lukewarm reception of Vukmirovic, Bertelli’s choice to revisit a Jil Sander without Sander and a team approach appears even bolder.

“Unless he has some rabbit in his brilliant hat, Bertelli has learned that filling [the shoes] of Jil Sander is a gargantuan task,” said one source.

The Prada spokesman explained late Tuesday that Sander’s contract was not renewed. When Sander returned last year, she inked a six-year deal with Prada. That agreement called for early contract renegotiations that have since failed, according to the spokesman.

“This [nonrenewal] was a result of differing opinions on the future financial strategic plans and operational management of the Jil Sander group,” he said. “It had nothing to do with creativity.” The spokesman was unable to clarify whether Sander has a noncompete clause as part of her exit package.

He said that Bertelli and Sander shared “reciprocal admiration” for one another, but that Prada is focusing on getting Jil Sander “back into profitability” by boosting operating efficiencies.

Sander could not be reached for comment on Tuesday.

The announcement stunned fashion executives and Sander insiders alike. As they were struggling to make sense of the news, a few small details emerged as to what might have triggered the most recent breakup. Some said it was an inevitable conclusion, given the hardheadedness of both Sander and Bertelli.

“Once a plate is cracked, the fissure is always there,” said Janet Brown, owner of a store in Port Washington, N.Y., who had been trying unsuccessfully for weeks to reach Sander on the designer’s cell phone. Brown said her inability to contact Sander was “very odd.”

Yet others openly admitted that they were caught off guard and thought the partnership was moving forward.

Jeffrey Kalinsky, owner of the Jeffrey stores in New York and Atlanta, said, “This is quite devastating news. I absolutely didn’t see it coming and it saddens me greatly.”

Sander canceled a trip to New York a few weeks ago. At the time, some observers chalked it up to typical last-minute schedule changes. Now, though, those same people speculate whether that marked the beginning of the end.

Despite recurring speculation that there could be frictions once again between the pair, Sander exuded a relaxed and calm aura during the women’s spring-summer 2005 shows in Milan last month. In a WWD interview at that time, she spoke of ambitious plans to grow the accessories business, launch a new fragrance and open stores.

“Maybe when I made the joint venture with Prada, I didn’t take the time to understand whom I was marrying. The more we work together, the more we realize that we are similar. We are both entrepreneurs. We understand how to respect one another,” Sander said of Bertelli.

Bertelli was equally upbeat. “I’m delighted that Jil has made this important decision,” Bertelli said in a statement at the time. “I am sure that she will find in the company the motivation and the resources necessary to enable her to express her ideas and creativity.”

The designer and the Prada ceo seemed at ease with one another at a joint interview in May of last year to tout Sander’s homecoming. “Now that Jil Sander has returned, we are very happy and we are sure we’ll find not only energy and the right strategy to increase sales, but also, above all else, give Jil Sander that same kind of impulse Jil Sander provided with her very first show,” said Bertelli, who, during the interview, laughed at Sander’s jokes, clowned around and downplayed the comments he’d made in the past.

And his wish appeared to be coming true. The collections that Sander crafted since her return garnered praise from retailers and critics alike, culminating with her most recent effort. The spring-summer 2005 collection, featuring delicately pleated shirts and structured but soft coats, was considered one of her strongest.

One source said that Bertelli had even learned to keep his distance by rarely traveling to Hamburg and giving Sander creative freedom.

It doesn’t look like that was enough for Sander, who built up her namesake label herself and was used to working as a one-woman show for decades. “She could not answer to a higher force,” said a source close to the designer. “That’s just not her style.”

Another source close to Prada said that Sander had a hard time reconciling her creativity with the need to contain costs — the issue that caused the split between the pair the first time. “She didn’t necessarily watch the price tag,” he said.

The pressure for Sander to watch expenses was vital for Bertelli this time around, both because Jil Sander AG continues to operate in the red and Prada is moving to pay down its debt in order to prepare for an initial public offering no later than next June. The most recent financial results from Jil Sander came in August. The numbers for the first six months of 2004 include sales of the spring-summer collection, her first design effort since her return.

They show an improvement, but there’s still a way to go before the brand is back in the black. Sales for the six months ended June 30 rose 4 percent to 65.4 million euros, or $84.7 million, and the company expects a further increase in the second part of the year. Cost-cutting helped Jil Sander narrow its losses before extraordinary operations to 17 million euros, or $22 million, from 20 million euros, or $25.9 million, the year before.

Sander’s second exit from the Prada Group is sure to renew debate on whether a corporate mentality and creative autonomy can coexist. Pinault-Printemps-Redoute’s determination to control Gucci ultimately pushed its two stars, ceo Domenico De Sole and Tom Ford, out the door. Ford also was replaced by a team, one that received lukewarm reviews this fall for its initial efforts at Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent.

Sander’s departure comes as Prada attempts to reduce the debt it built up in the mergers-and-acquisitions frenzy of years past, purchasing labels such as Helmut Lang, Jil Sander, Car Shoe and Azzedine Alaïa. Prada has said it wants eventually to go public and list shares on the stock exchange by June 2005, when 700 million euros, or $906.3 million at current exchange rates, of its convertible bonds expire.

Prada’s net financial debt stood at 675 million euros, or $873.9 million, at the end of last year, and the company’s goal is to cut the debt to 300 million euros, or $388.4 million, by the end of this year.

 

[Johnny]

"It is hard not to see this as a watershed. Sander’s strength — the tailored suits, the rigour of her aesthetic — is not as necessary as when she broke through in the Eighties and Nineties. Even the most corporate executive dresses more casually now. Fashion will be the poorer, but may not miss her as much as it thinks."

See look someone else agrees with me! Can't be the WHOLE industry then softie although I admit that it's probably the majority of it.

And I did see an outfit of hers in Harvey Nicks at the weekend that I thought was beautiful - silvery skirt with white sparkly vest top.

 

[macchiom]

It’s hard to say who’s to blame for all the controversies. But when Jil decided to sell her company, did she really expect that the Prada Group was a big cash mountain waiting to be exploited. It must have been clear to her that they expected to get a return on their investment instead of continuously pumping money into the company.

Originally posted by ionn24@Nov 17 2004, 04:02 AM
I think she should just start a new line again.

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I believe she would have to keep the business really small if she wants to try on her ownagain. But apart from the fact that it most be really weird to have one of your competitors carrying your name she’ll probably also have a non-competition clause, even though the spokesman didn’t wanted to confirm it.

 

[Alura]

I loved her recent work, she revamped Jil Sander (as a brand) to its former glory after years of 'so-so' collections. Her fabrics must be so expensive to produce though, hence the enormous prices in the store, I guess she is ready to move on, on her own.

 

[AlexN]

Originally posted by Alura@Nov 17 2004, 05:05 PM
Her fabrics must be so expensive to produce though, hence the enormous prices in the store.

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Not that expensive...

 

[nqth]

An article on iht.com

http://www.iht.com/articles/2004/11/16/business/sander.html

Again, Jil Sander leaves her label


By Suzy Menkes International Herald Tribune Wednesday, November 17, 2004


PARIS For the second time in four years, the designer Jil Sander quit the fashion company that bears her name. The resignation Tuesday, just two years after Prada Holding, the majority owner of Jil Sander, had asked Sander to return, sent shockwaves through the fashion world and may put an end to Prada's dream of building a multibrand company.

Sander's departure, described by Prada as "amicable," may also stall for the third time Prada's initial public share offering, which the company this month said was scheduled to take place before July 2005.

Prada's statement was brief: "Jil Sander AG, the Hamburg fashion company, and designer Jil Sander announce that they have amicably agreed to terminate their co-operation." Sander founded her company in 1973.

But these words suggest an irremediable separation between the Jil Sander brand and its heart and soul.

Sander first resigned in 2000, only four months after she had sold a 75 percent stake to Prada, citing strategy differences with Prada's chief executive, Patrizio Bertelli.

The designer said at the time that she had been "too exhausted and emotional to cope."

When they reconciled in May 2003, Bertelli made her creative director again and gave her a seat on the Prada board alongside himself and his wife, Miuccia Prada.

Bertelli described the designer upon her return as "the engine and the soul" of the company. "My belief," he said, "was and still is that the raison d'être of the Jil Sander label is fundamentally connected to Jil Sander herself."

Bertelli was at a shoe factory near Florence on Tuesday and could not be reached for comment on Sander's second resignation.

Sander, who turns 61 this month, has made a strong comeback and her collections were critically acclaimed. She is famous for the purity, integrity and serenity of her designs. But a person familiar with recent discussions between Jil Sander and Bertelli said Tuesday that she was unhappy with her financial arrangements and had failed to reach an agreement with Prada on compensation for herself or on further investment by Prada in Jil Sander AG.

The situation has echoes of the departure of Tom Ford from Gucci this year. There too, money became the key issue in the relationship between the designer and the parent company of Gucci, Pinault Printemps Redoute.

Prada Group in March said its 2003 profit rose 30 percent to €36 million, or $46.6, million, according to Bloomberg News. The company's labels include Church shoes and Helmut Lang.

At Jil Sander, revenue in the first six months of the year was €65.4 million, 4 percent more than a year earlier.

 

[Urban Stylin]

Originally posted by faust@Nov 16 2004, 08:41 PM
If you call demanding maintanence of the highest standards from the Prada Group by Jil Sander, just as she demanded of her self being difficult, then yes, she is a difficult person - and I applaud her for that.

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remember my dear its a thin line between precise /perfectionist and difficult/impossible

 

[faust]

Originally posted by Urban Stylin@Nov 18 2004, 09:45 AM
remember my dear its a thin line between precise /perfectionist and difficult/impossible

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Ok, who do you think is more stubborn, Jil or Bertelli, and more important for what reasons?