Jil Sander to Show as Special Guest at Upcoming Pitti Uomo
Click here to read the full article.
MILAN — Jil Sander will show its fall 2020 men’s wear collection in Florence as special guest of the upcoming Pitti Uomo, running Jan. 7 to 10.
The fashion house’s creative directors Lucie and Luke Meier will therefore decamp from Paris Fashion Week for a season to present their latest men’s wear effort in the Italian city. The date and location of the show were not confirmed at press time.
More from WWD
“For us, showing in Florence is both an honor and a completion,” the designers said in a statement. “We first met in Florence, and never imagined that we would be back here together showing at Pitti Uomo. This opportunity is a truly special one, and we look forward to contributing to the legacy of this city and Pitti Uomo.”
“We have been following with great interest the work of Lucie and Luke Meier at Jil Sander,” said Lapo Cianchi, the trade show organizer Pitti Immagine’s director of communications and events. “A very precise vision of fashion, where there is clearly a constant search for equilibrium between the respect for minimalist codes — which made the history of the brand — and the desire to incite emotion, combined with great attention to details. When they talk about their collections, it is as if they were describing a character, a complex and multifaceted individual. The desire to create clothes that last over time is an approach that we find to be absolutely fresh and contemporary, to which the special event in Florence should be able to give a further contribution in terms of freedom of expression.”
Lucie and Luke Meier’s inaugural men’s runway show for the brand was staged in the Parisian Hôtel Salomon de Rothschild venue last January. Previously, the couple, who took on the creative helm at Jil Sander in April 2017, experimented with the coed format in Milan and men’s presentations in the City of Light.
Overall, this will mark a return to Florence for the Jil Sander brand, which was special guest at Pitti Uomo in June 2010 under the creative direction of Raf Simons.
It is understood this is just the first announcement Pitti Uomo organizers will make to build up the hype around the 97th edition of the international trade show.
Over the past year, the event has significantly stepped up its game, enriching its schedule with guest designers and special projects, often eroding big names from the Milan Fashion Week calendar.
In June, Salvatore Ferragamo and MSGM migrated to Florence to present their collections, while Marco De Vincenzo and Sperling Ruby both opted for the city to debut their men’s wear and fashion lines, respectively. In addition, Givenchy’s artistic director Clare Waight Keller staged her first stand-alone men’s show in the luxuriant gardens of Tuscan Villa Palmieri as the French fashion house was the special guest of the event.
Former guest brands and designers showing in Florence included Y/Project’s creative director Glenn Martens, Roberto Cavalli and Craig Green, among others.
Best of WWD
Sign up for WWD's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
