Jil Sander

Jil Sander spent her childhood and youth in Wesselburen. She showed exceptional fashion awareness at a young age when she wore trousers instead of petticoats in the 1950s. After attending secondary school, Sander began studying textile engineering. After graduating, she moved to the United States. There she worked as an editorial assistant at McCalls magazine in Los Angeles. 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 the Pöseldorf district of Hamburg on 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 it didn't initially make a big splash. It wasn't until two years later that the onion look or layered look & combination fashion helped her achieve great success. Just two years later, in 1978, Sander became 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, the Japanese fashion magazine "High Fashion" listed Sander as one of the world's twelve best fashion designers. In the United States, she made a name for herself as the "Queen of the Less" with the emphasized simplicity of her style. In 1983, Sander gained a foothold on the Italian market with her fashion. This was followed by branches in New York, in Asian metropolises and in Paris. In 1984 she designed accessories and eyewear, and in 1986 leather coats, knitwear, ties and pocket squares completed Sanders' creative offering. 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 worldwide, but also set new trends. Sander became the most famous German fashion designer. She attached great importance to the quality of not only the material, but also the workmanship and design. The fashion tsarina personally preferred trouser suits and simple blazers. In general, she tended towards simplicity in fashion. Sander avoided superfluous details, although she still tended towards the avant-garde. She made this view her maxim and characterized her design. Sander realized her ideas in clear, strict lines as an elegant style that was visible in the finest materials. In addition to her great success in fashion, Sander also shone as an entrepreneur. She built an international company. In 1989 her company became a stock corporation and was listed on the stock exchange. In 1993 she opened the first flagship store in the international fashion metropolis of Paris, presenting current fashion trends on over 900 square meters spread over four floors. In 1997 she included men's fashion in her collection for the first time. In 1999, the Sanders company was transferred to the Italian Prada Group, which had acquired a majority shareholding. Initially, the designer was supposed 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 resigned as CEO of Jil Sander AG. The Jil Sander Group was considered one of the most profitable on the international fashion market with sales of 226.6 million German marks. In May 2003, Sander returned to her former company as a designer. In this role, she brought Prada new business success with the presentation of its women's collection in autumn 2003. However, due to ongoing differences with the former Gucci manager Gian Giacomo Ferraris, who had taken over the management from Jil Sander and ordered a controversial austerity program, Sander once again and permanently separated from the Hamburg fashion company she founded in mid-November 2004. Shortly before, her spring 2005 collection had been enthusiastically celebrated. Jil Sander is a recipient of the Federal Cross of Merit and lives in Hamburg.