Jil Sander leaves namesake company for the third time

Just one month shy of celebrating her 70th birthday, Jil Sander, company founder and designer, is said to be leaving the company for the third time. Her namesake brand revealed she was leaving the company due to “personal reasons”. The German designer

previously left Jil Sander in 1999 and 2003, returning in February 2012 after an eight-year absence.

Jil Sa

nder leaves namesake brand due to "personal reasons"

When the designer made her company comeback last year, she took over the creative side of the company from Raf Simons, who has been the company senior designer since 2005. Even though her returning collection was named ‘Reset to Zero,’ the designed insisted it was not a fresh start, as during her absence from her namesake brand, she also embarked on a three-year collaboration with Japanese company Uniqlo. There she focused on creating her own line, known as +J. +J., a business wear collection that reflected the designer’s minimalistic style, for which is known for today.

Jil Sander’s chief executive, Alessandro Cremonesi, shared the teams’ gratitude towards the designer in a press statement. He said they were grateful for “her remarkable contribution to the brand over this period.” Jil Sander started the companty back on 1968, in Hamburg. Since then the company has had a number of owners. In 1999, Jil Sander sold 75 percent of the company to Prada Group, then in 2006 Change Capital Partners purchased the brand and two years later, it was acquired by Onward Holding’s in Japan.

A replacement for the departing designer has yet to be unveiled, and the Fall/Winter collection for 2014 is set to be designed by Jil Sander’s in-house creative team.