Jil Sander has announced that it has hired not one, but two new creative directors: husband-and-wife Luke and Lucie Meier, replacing Rodolfo Paglialunga with immediate effect.
Although they may share a name, the duo’s backgrounds share little similarity. Swiss-born Lucie’s credentials include an impressive line of French houses: she’s spent time at Balenciaga and Louis Vuitton, before working at Dior with Serge Ruffieux after Raf Simons’ departure. Luke, on the other hand, hails from Canada and was head designer at Supreme for eight years, before co-founding the streetwear brand OAMC.
The selection of the duo suggests a desire to move the brand forward with a fresh combination of high fashion design and modern streetwear. The Jil Sander SS18 womenswear collection will be the first one the designers create together.
Alessandra Bettari, CEO of Jil Sander, said: “Lucie and Luke possess an intimate connection and a deep understanding of the brand. They hold a vision which is modern, cohesive, and in touch with what is relevant now and they beautifully combine it with a subtle sensibility for fabrics, garment construction, and detail definition.”
The Meiers confirmed that being able to work together on the brand “makes this opportunity even more special to us.”
The house’s eponymous founder left the company (for the third time, having previously departed twice before) in 2013. Raf Simons steered it for almost a decade, defining its minimalist aesthetic between 2005 and 2012, before joining Dior – where Lucie Meier worked with him.
