Together, the Meiers make for an interesting couple—different from each other but with complementary characteristics, as they say. I sat down with them a few days before the show at the brand’s Milan headquarters; over cappuccinos, we discussed the label’s high standards, its soulfulness, and what they’ve learned from their many meetings with the still-forward-thinking Sander.
You work as a couple, but what I’d like to know is your individual takes on the brand.
Luke Meier: I think we’re quite different [in our] work experience, but we share quite a bit of life experience. We’re both first generation from diverse backgrounds. We both share an understanding of a global perspective on things, a perspective from where you watch things a little bit from the outside, without bearing a really heavy weight of history or identity or citizenship. Maybe today it’s helpful to relate to many different references and to be able to bring them into your work; if you have a certain life experience it can lend a sort of subconscious text to what you’re trying to say with your work. The experience I’ve had in design is a bit more sociological rather than purely focused on the product. That’s how I got interested in fashion and design in the first place, as a platform where people can show their own perspective and ideas. But I was also very captivated by how a certain logo or branding could be so powerful that people would gravitate toward it without even questioning it; for me that’s really interesting, and I’ve spent a great deal of energy analyzing this.
Lucie Meier: The way I like doing things is not so much about analyzing; my approach is definitely more emotional and intuitive. We’re very different but complementary, and that’s what makes our partnership so strong. Even when simply looking at a picture, we point out different elements. As a woman, I always come back to myself: How do I feel; how do I look when I wear something? It’s a very personal, intimate approach.
Right, I definitely felt a feminine flair in the pre-collection, which I didn’t expect to be explored in a label considered almost as a template for sharp precision. Have you brought it about intentionally, or has it just happened intuitively as a subtext?
Luke: It was something that was there with intention. The very first opinion or image people have of Jil Sander, the feeling they get from it, is very rigid, minimal—but if you really go deeper . . .
Lucie: . . . it’s really soulful.
Luke: That’s very important to us, that kind of soulful, sensitive approach.
Lucie: It’s about an emotional connection with the clothes. I got into fashion because my mother was a huge fan of Jil Sander. I was fascinated by her clothes, the way she looked and how she was wearing them. It was really an emotional feeling for me.
The brand has gone through many ups and downs. Despite the timeless quality of its values, one questions the relevance it can have today. Do you think it’s possible to bring it back to a consistent, interesting place in the fashion system and in the marketplace?
Lucie: Jil Sander to me is still extremely relevant, in that the values of the brand are very strong: the extremely high quality, the idea that the collection is part of a lifestyle and not the other way around. I feel that today a lot of things are very disposable; there’s so much out there, that I like the idea of something that lasts, to create something that becomes part of your life and stays with you for a long time. And the aesthetic of the brand is still so modern, so timeless and alive.
Luke: The point is not creating a trend that after a few months is over. We don’t believe that in the times we’re living in now it feels right to create something disposable. It’s not an appealing process. The way we see the brand is that of an incredible quality, an incredible soulfulness, a true appreciation for the fine art of making clothes. We think that the value of the brand is in touch with what is happening right now; there’s an element of innovation, being very open to new technologies, to new experiences, even to how people are living. High quality and craftsmanship are very modern concepts; they’re not something that will ever be outdated. For us this very simple, very correct approach of making things is very important.
Jil Sander’s levels of execution were always exacting; she was utterly uncompromising on this.
Luke: Again, it’s a matter of values. You can’t take shortcuts. You have to be honest about it and say: Look, if you want a full canvased tailoring made by hand, then you have to be ready to pay for it. It’s also our job to “educate” people in appreciating such standards, which isn’t easy, of course, in this business, not at all easy! But we think it’s important to find a balance and to catch people’s attention, bring them in and show them our universe, show them how three millimeters in cutting the right pocket makes a difference, and make them appreciate that.
How to address a historic label’s values is such a hot topic today. Respect over disruption, interpretation over appropriation—there are so many different recipes and strategies. What’s your take?
Luke: It’s definitely interpretation. We truly think that Jil Sander’s approach is already so brilliant, and it’s extremely crucial for us that it stay relevant in the context of today. When Jil was running the brand in the ’90s, when it kind of exploded, her approach was really modern at the time; it cut through the noise and it made many things feel very old very quickly. So we actually started to approach the philosophy of the product and all the world around it, trying to find a way to engage around it—the social media, the marketing, the image. The intention was to proceed deeply and step-by-step, not cleaning out everything that has been done before.
And so what will be the defining element that you’ll bring to the table in your new vision for the brand?
Lucie: Emotion. Which is something that Jil Sander herself, being a woman, already expressed in her own way; there was definitely a lot of emotion in creating a brand the way she did, and to me this makes it so special—maybe this aspect hasn’t been explored as much as we think it should. The label speaks very personally to us; we feel deeply connected with its values. I project myself very personally into Jil’s work; we feel it’s having a real connection and not only doing “a job.” I’ve always regarded Jil Sander as being a very feminine brand, even if it has quite a masculine side to it. It’s about sensuality, a bit of softness and a sensitive approach; it’s what the world needs right now, I think.
Well, she’s definitely one of the greats. The Museum of Applied Arts in Frankfurt is slated to open an exhibition of her work in November. It will incorporate her complete aesthetic vision: her architectural decisions, her plans for the private gardens, her visual arts collections and installations. Will you attend? And have you met her?
Luke: Definitely we’ll go, and, yes, we have met her many times. She is amazing. She is very powerful but also very warm; she has opened up a lot (with us), explaining a lot of things, her philosophy, her point of view. She was kind of reinforcing what we really believe in; it’s about quality, about being modern and fresh, being current, even being cool, about doing something that’s invigorating now, not looking at the past or dwelling in any of these old things, but to keep progressing, to keep looking forward, trying to be very conscious of making something very, very well at the highest-quality level. It was great to hear all these things coming from her directly. It was really special.
Lucie: When she launched her label, the aesthetic was very different; there were lots of very loud brands, aesthetically noisy. Yet she kept sticking to what she liked, saying that you have to fight hard for what you believe in.
Luke: She’s cool, very intense; she’s up to date on everything. People think that she has stepped away from fashion, but she definitely has a finger on the pulse; a couple of references that she mentioned, they actually happened yesterday! She was one of the first to take on a collaboration with Puma in the ’90s; merging high-end fashion with an athletic sport brand was unheard of at the time. She was always forward.
Lucie: She’s been very encouraging and supportive.
Definitely she broke rules. At that time, there were still quite a few rules to break. But what about today? It seems that everything has already been experienced and that boundaries are as flimsy as ever.
Luke: I can’t speak for her, but probably the intention wasn’t of breaking rules but to do what felt right and what you were passionate about or feeling some respect about. Probably breaking rules was just a by-product of the intention. Today I think you have to take the same approach; today there aren’t many things that shock people. Even my experience with Supreme wasn’t really intentionally “disruptive,” but again a by-product. We did things we thought were great, in which we believed; there wasn’t a disruptive strategy per se. Here at Jil Sander we’re going deeper into layers of meaning. It’s almost like when you’re attracted to people; the attraction usually starts with a very simple aesthetic fascination—then if you get closer you can see and feel a quality, and then again deep down there’s a subtle communication about perspectives, about shared values. This was the strength about Jil Sander—but also about Helmut Lang, for instance, these layers of meaning you can perceive if you take the time to see what’s behind the collection. It’s quite complex, and it’s never a first-degree approach, ever.
