Getting to Know Jil Sander: the Brand That Defined Quiet Luxury

The rise of Jil Sander as a brand, and her as an influential, legendary fashion designer, is one for the history books.

Spanning a career from the 1970s till today, the brand has seen a rise and fall, exchanges of hands, creative decisions, and corporate power struggles. Yet, in the midst of these hurdles and creative shifts, Jil Sander’s original quiet luxury, deep minimalism, and astounding architectural silhouettes still prevail, and will always, and have proven to be the enduring success of the brand’s DNA.

From her early impact on Milan’s fashion scene in the 1970s to its current chapter under a Japanese parent company, Jil Sander remains synonymous with an uncompromising design philosophy. Here’s what you need to know about the designer and the house that shaped modern minimalism.

History & Creative Battles

The German designer’s love affair with fashion began when she studied textile engineering at the Krefeld School of Textiles, but her real understanding of fashion took shape during her time as an editor at German magazine Petra, where she accompanied fashion shoots and gained insight into the industry and market.

Unimpressed by the options available for modern women at the time, she sought to change the landscape by opening her very first boutique in Hamburg in 1968, at just 24 years old. A decade later, she presented her debut collection in Paris in 1975 to largely negative reviews, as critics failed to grasp her minimalist sensibility. But she found success instead in Milan, where her design language resonated more strongly.

After two decades of steady growth, the brand opened its first showroom in Milan and continued to expand. This included the launch of Jil Sander’s menswear line in 1997, described on the brand’s official website as “introducing a very specific vision, through clear yet comfortable cuts and extremely refined tailoring.”

With expansion, however, came creative battles. In 1999, the Prada Group acquired a 75 percent stake in the company, setting the stage for ongoing tension between creative vision and commercial ambition. The clash between Sander and Prada Group chief executive Patrizio Bertelli ultimately led to her departure from her own brand in 2000. She returned briefly in 2003, only to leave again a year later.

The push and pull continued even as ownership changed hands, first involving Change Capital Partners and later Japan’s Onward Holdings. And if it seemed as though Sander’s chapter with the brand was truly over, she made yet another return in 2012. Her tenure was once again short-lived, lasting only three seasons, cementing Jil Sander’s fashion journey as both a triumph and a cautionary tale for young designers navigating creative control within corporate structures.

Yet despite the controversy, the essence of Jil Sander has remained unmistakably intact.

Design Codes & the Language of Quiet Luxury

Among the designers who followed, Raf Simons stood out for his deep understanding of Jil Sander’s original ethos. He advanced the house through bold colour, high-tech materials, and couture-inspired silhouettes, modernising the brand while preserving its minimalist DNA.

From sharply tailored coats to fluid dresses and impeccably cut separates, each piece reflects a deep understanding of longevity and intention. This legacy continued under Luke and Lucie Meier from 2017 to 2025, where they delivered a “softer” reimagination of Jil Sander through a more adaptable form of minimalism, seen in overcoats, capes, and elongated garments that felt both modern and wearable.

These contemporary interpretations only reaffirm what the fashion world has long known: Jil Sander was truly ahead of its time. Renowned for clean lines, precise tailoring, and luxurious fabrics, the designer—often dubbed the “Queen of Less”—pioneered minimalist design that prioritised creating timeless pieces for modern professional women that will endure and can be passed down through generations.

Shop your next Jil Sander pieces exclusively at MAYFEYR.