In a space that once screened films and now embodies minimalist modernity, JIL SANDER returns to its Milan headquarters for the first time since 2017
Here it begins, with an act of learning and discovery, in the headquarters that embody the ethos and the spirit of JIL SANDER: a place that, through vibrant simplicity – once a cinema, it is now a three-storey building looking onto one of the city’s historical landmarks – connects Milano and Hamburg, Castello and modernity, history and now. The homecoming – the last show here was in 2017 marks a new departure. The ambience, bathed in white, only bears the black line of the arching runway, while the sonic ambiance is drawn by the ever-evolving electronic bleeps of Bochum Welt.
Learning and discovery require studiousness and openness, the urge to pose questions and the resoluteness of looking for answers with the awareness they might not be definitive. It’s like flipping through the pages of a book, which in fact is the image on the show invitation.
The alacrity for learning is the emotional drive of this foundation act, delving into an aesthetic that, in the collective imagination, is associated with streamlined pureness. Is it possible to take away while adding a personal signature? Does lessness allow for moreness? Is it better to opt for directness or to be elaborate, to layer up or peel away, to polish to perfection or leave something unfinished?
Simone Bellotti kept asking himself these questions from day one. As he glanced at Castello from his studio window on the corner of this stark ambiance, an illuminating connection appeared in the dialogue of opposites: strictness and lightness, grace and severity, control and freedom.
This collection looks forward standing on the roots, exploring pureness as a mode, not a limit: a tightly edited expression of contrasts. Tension and calm, straight lines and torsions are laid out in a counterpoint of somber neutrals, dusty pastels and vibrant hues, and textures that add a tactile element to the discourse. The mirroring of womenswear and menswear is constant, brought to life with meticulous handwork and obsessive attention to details and quality.
The silhouette is concisely vertical. Rational tailoring with high buttoning is ruptured by occasional folding, by the odd raw hem. Clustered strips of georgette swarm like sliced pages on dresses and skirts. Double faced leathers and wool create weightless architectural staples. A sense of readiness, and tautness: zip up knits; jumpers; shirts. The frivolity of little flowers and the lab sheen of techno fabrics. From the Castello to the modern world, armors suggest notions of protection and exposure: mirrored leather, metallic sequins, and precious silks that are folded as to shield the bust and the hips. Contrasts that transcend time. The energy of the body is felt throughout, fully unveiled by transparencies, offered in glimpses by slits and cut-outs.
The dialogue is punctuated by an extensive focus on accessories: square-toed lace-ups, cut out ballerinas, kitten heeled brogues, sandals, multipurpose handbags in different shapes and sizes, including the new Pivot, marrying a fluid, neat line and a multiplicity of attitudes.
There is seriousness as well as playfulness, as further questions arise and the answers keep moving forward.
