Berlin – When a new + J collection was announced last year, the alarm went off in the fashion community. Because after Jil Sander had collaborated for three collections with the Japanese fast fashion group Uniqlo between 2009 and 2011, the collaboration was quickly ended. Exactly why remained a secret. But nobody really believed that this collaboration would be continued.
Now we know: it was actually only on hold. And as quickly as the + J autumn 2020 collection was sold worldwide, the current designs should also find their way into the shopping baskets. Even if mostly in the electronic. One thing is certain: the fifth + J edition will go on sale in Germany on March 25th, i.e. on Thursday. According to the current state of knowledge, both in the Uniqlo online shop and with advance notice in Uniqlo stores via “Click & Meet”.
So let’s take a look at what is on offer. And look, as reliable as Ms. Sander is, everything that contemporary clothing needs can be found in her resolutely straightforward designs: dynamism in cut and materiality, plus a post-avant-garde attitude that remains completely calm and with Timeless-Essential-Qualities instigating fashionable revolutions through the back door. “The initial idea was sovereignty,” is how Sander describes the + J line for spring. “I thought of the clear vision that comes with a new beginning and regeneration.”
Well, that fits. This is meant quite unironically, because: Where else can you counter the current pandemic-misanthropic rigidity than in the micro-environment of your own body? As you know, Sander’s fashion DNA has always been inscribed with a feeling of freedom, freedom of movement and sportiness. That is exactly what fashion has to deliver right now.
So this time too, the goal should be to be online as quickly as possible for the start of sales in order to secure the coveted pieces. The collection consists of 37 pieces for women and 25 for men. Including jackets, light coats, dresses, shirts and t-shirts. The prices – from 15 euros for a T-shirt (with which, Heureka, the neckline is really right) to the blazer for 180 euros to the transitional parka for 120 euros – are again in a range that is quite affordable. It can be assumed that the designer will not tolerate any inferior quality materials. In this case, fine-sounding “supima cotton” or “techno silk” should really keep what their names promise: quality.
Incidentally, the current campaign was again photographed by David Sims. The Briton again knew how to use his models to depict the contemporary Sprezzatura that is Jil Sander’s real trademark. At this point, it is important to pay homage to her again, because as one of the few women in the tough fashion business, the 77-year-old has actually built a fashion identity that still plays a role in the era of mega-brands. And precisely because Ms. Sander is no longer an entrepreneur herself and can concentrate fully on creation, the + J collections from Uniqlo are today possibly the only offer on the fashionable world market that is right from A to P. A for Allure, P for Preis.
And one more thing is certain: you could step into any time machine with a coat or shirt from the + J collection. Because whether past, future or only moderately pleasant present: In Jil Sander’s designs you are always well dressed.
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