“If You Circumvent the Fancy, the Repetitive, You End up with Pure Energy. And Energy is Very Sensual”—In a New Monograph, Jil Sander Looks Back

One of the lines in the book says “Jil Sander went to the school of nature.” What is the School of Nature to you?
I cherish Nature’s infinite reservoir of moods, especially in my northern country, the fluid change of seasons, weather conditions, color harmonies. Nature taught me subtleness, but also dynamic construction. Clothes, in my view, should be as stable and, yet, resilient as a tree. Nature rarely steps forward; you must discover it. The more you look, the more you see and enjoy. We can’t outpace Nature; it will always overwhelm and stun us.

What is your favorite place in nature?
My English Garden, which I started 40 years ago. Since it has the dimensions of a park with color-coded rose sections, an orchard, and a kitchen garden, I like to walk in it, enjoying the flow of the blossoming season and changing perspectives.

The book design juxtaposes different images next to each other, pushing viewers to find their own narrative connection between the two.

Photo: Courtesy of Jil Sander

In one spread, a staircase from her Hamburg showroom is placed next to a look from the fall 2004 collection.

Photo: Courtesy of Jil Sander

While in another, a backstage image from the Fall 1988 show where Sander covers her face with her hand is placed next to Amber Valletta in a similar pose in a photo from the spring 1994 ad campaign.

Photo: Courtesy of Jil Sander

Photo: Peter Lindbergh © Peter Lindbergh Foundation / Courtesy of Jil Sander

What did you learn about your own work when you looked at the finished book? Has it changed or influenced your creative process since then?
Especially as a fashion designer, you forget what you have done. Every collection needs a blank space to get started. Work on the book carried me back to the excitement of past moments, to objectives that guided me and providential solutions. I feel that the book is an expression of that frenzy, when creativity is at its most attentive and every hour counts. I learned that my work has been multivarious and that my design, at the end, has a strong sensual touch. Having revised it all once more, I am confident that my vision of contemporary, cutting-edge understatement has been consistent. Recently, I applied it to different areas of design.

There’s a short text in the book that says:
“Jil Sander’s composure in stressful situations is legendary. She has an unwavering trust in arriving at a coherent and harmonious result, whether at the negotiating table or in the studio. Her pursuit of quality persists until the second-best solution has been refined into the ultimate best. It is this ‘not yet’ that gives her designs the magic.” Can you tell me more about “not yet”?
For as long as I don’t have it, I am restless. It’s almost torture, since my team is stressed, time is running out, we are tired and outworn. All the while I know that my endeavors are nothing until it feels right. I am convinced that the solution, the twist, the step forward can be found. That’s my driving force. I cannot give up. Over the years, my team has learned to share my confidence. In the end, they are as happy as I am, since the final design is a cut above and everybody contributed.