Jil Sander FW25 Was a Quiet Swan Song
Just a few hours after the show’s conclusion, husband-wife designers Luke and Lucie Meier announced that the collection was their last at the German label’s helm.
On Wednesday in Milan, Jil Sander’s Fall/Winter 2025 show was more than a stylish spectacle; unknown to those in attendance, the runway marked the swan song for the German luxury label’s creative directors Lucie and Luke Meier.
Just a few hours after the catwalk’s conclusion, the brand sent out a short press release announcing the end of the couple’s tenure as joint creative directors: “Jil Sander and its Creative Directors Lucie and Luke Meier have mutually decided that this collection would be the last of their collaboration,” the blast stated. The label did not name the husband-wife duo’s successor.
Renzo Rosso, chairman of OTB Group (which has owned the Jil Sander brand since April 2021), thanked Lucie and Luke for their “vision, passion for excellence, and dedication to the brand.”
The duo successfully led the label for eight years, championing its founder’s penchant for minimalism in the modern day through precise tailoring, opulent textiles and gender-fluid silhouettes. “The designers seize this occasion to express their heartfelt gratitude to OTB and the Jil Sander teams who have consistently dedicated their energy, passion, and talent to this project, and are proud of the work they have accomplished alongside such wonderful people. A special thanks as well to Mr. Rosso,” the release ended.
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It’s fitting, then, that the Meiers’ final runway was, in their words, “a bright metaphor of love.” The show’s dark staging, punctuated with pitch-black curtains and a moody composition by Benji B, let the designers’ creations claim all the light. Black-tipped and blue shearling fur coats entered the scene with a special vividity, as did airy kilts, hand-crafted alpaca knitwear, and all of the line’s velvet, taffeta, silk, and sequin pieces. When paired, the aforementioned materials existed in a sort of blissful tension—an intentional exploration on Lucie and Luke’s part that made their textural mastery palpable.
The Meiers, who were Jil Sander’s longest-standing creative directors, were able to successfully build a distinct design identity at the brand’s helm while simultaneously paying homage to its history—a task that has become increasingly difficult for contemporary designers, as seen by the industry’s never-ending game of musical chairs. Sure, the duo’s final collection might’ve been distant from the brand’s formerly strict minimalism, but its luxe composition was firmly intact with the brand’s refined archive. That’s the Meier’s touch.
Rumors are swirling that Luke and Lucie could be next to lead LOEWE, where present creative director Jonathan Anderson is expected to soon depart. No official word has been shared on either of those rumblings, and to let the fashion rumor mill run even more rampant, Proenza Schouler’s former designers, Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez, are also said to be in conversations to take the Spanish label’s reigns from Anderson. For now, the futures of all parties remain unclear, but stay tuned to Hypebeast as more details become available.
See Lucie and Luke Meier’s final Jil Sander collection in the gallery above, and stay tuned to Hypebeast for more Milan Fashion Week coverage.
