Jil Sander SS26: Simone Bellotti’s debut was an ode to minimalism

The simplest painting in the Tate Modern is an ultramarine blue rectangle, Yves Klein’s IKB 79, painted in 1959. Famously, ‘IKB’ stands for his trademark, patented colour, International Klein Blue, and the painting at the Tate is one of around 200 monochromatic works using the shade. The French artist’s mission was to create the precise shade of blue that, for him, symbolised pure freedom, while immersing the viewer in uninterrupted colour. 

Often, it’s the simplest idea that wins. Klein invented a colour and today is remembered as one of the greatest artists of the 20th century. This morning (September 24), Italian designer Simone Bellotti showed his debut collection for Jil Sander, taking cues from Klein’s less-is-more approach, while including bolts of the famous, electric hue. 

Similarly to Jonathon Anderson’s debut at Dior, Bellotti is laying a foundation of simple and elegant silhouettes that honour the house codes, which he can gradually build upon. In an interview with WWD, Bellotti described the collection as “apparent simplicity”, staying true to the brand DNA – Jil Sander debuted her namesake label in 1973 and was inspired largely by the clean lines of modern and Bauhaus architecture. 

Notably, Sander was one of the earliest pioneers of minimalist fashion, providing an antidote to the va-va-voom of the eighties (Versace, Christian Lacroix, Mugler), alongside her contemporaries Martin Margiela and Calvin Klein. In 2025, the eighties have come crashing back into fashion with the rise of the hedonistic ‘boom boom’ trend, so naturally, minimalism is on the rise again too. 

Held inside the German brand’s Milan headquarters, overlooking the city’s medieval Sforza Castle, Bellotti opened the show with faces from the brand’s famous 90s ad campaigns, Guinevere Van Seenus and Angela Lindvall, both now in their late 40s. Pencil skirts were sliced diagonally – a nod to Argentine-Italian artist Lucio Fontana – coats and jackets came with nipped waists and dropped shoulders, and layered knitwear looked as though it had been deliberately shrunk in the wash. 

It’s one of the earliest debuts of the season – following Demna’s Gucci film premiere last night – though there are still many to come over the next fortnight (see our full list here). Bellotti left his previous role at Bally for the top job at Jil Sander earlier this year, following the departure of husband and wife duo Luke and Lucie Meier, who left the house in February. It was a quiet start to a very loud season of fashion firsts, but just because someone shouts, doesn’t make them worth listening to.