Jil Sander in Frankfurt

Few designers from Germany have made a name for themselves in quite the same way as Jil Sander has done since beginning her career in 1968. Born in the north German state of Schleswig-Holstein, Sander got off to a slow start after releasing her first collection in 1973. She went on to garner a reputation as a luxury designer with a minimal aesthetic.

“I make fashion for the woman who dresses avant-garde casual,” Sander said early in her career. By using high-quality materials and German sewing techniques, Sander created classic pieces that could be worn in both business and casual settings and that outlived trends. Her timeless design philosophy is the subject of the exhibition “Präsens” (Present) at the Museum for Applied Art in Frankfurt.

Raised in northern Germany, Jil Sander was influenced by the puritanical functionality of Bauhaus, a German art school movement of the 1920s. Her fashion aesthetic removed opulence and decadence in favor of high-quality craftsmanship and textiles and earned her the nickname “Queen of Less.” The Frankfurt Museum of Applied Art's exhibition compliments Sander's minimalism in its space design.

The Frankfurt exhibition is devoted exclusively to Sander's work and considers her repertoire in a multimedia installation. The exhibition takes a holistic look at her approach to design and traces Sander's unique combination of aesthetic, material and form that is visible not only in her fashion designs but also in her work in architecture, product and garden design.

In the 80s and 90s, Jil Sander became a fashion favorite with her clean lines and neutral, though not boring, colors. Sanders created unique clothing that allowed the women wearing them to stand out without drawing too much attention to the pieces themselves. This was unique at a time when flashy was a commonly used adjective and the phrase “dress for success” was on every working girl's tongue.

Having already made a name for herself in fashion as a contrast to the flowery excesses of Paris, Sanders released a perfume and cosmetics line in 1979 that quickly became a classic. Even the shape of the bottles the perfume came in were unique and reflected the boxy aesthetics of the 1980s. Over the decades, she has created numerous popular fragrances, such as Sander for Men in 1999 (above).

The Jil Sander eponymous collections hit their peak in the supermodel era, when photographers like Peter Lindbergh redefined femininity as something tough, not fragile. Sander's well-tailored pantsuits did the same and an aesthetic similar to Lindbergh's comes through in the campaign photography Sanders employed at the time. The exhibition features examples of Sander's strong feminine style.

Curated by Matthias Wagner K in close cooperation with Jil Sander herself, the exhibition is divided into nine thematic areas: runway, backstage, studio, collections, accessories, cosmetics, photography and campaigns, fashion and art, and architecture and garden landscapes. It runs through May 6, 2018 at the Museum of Applied Art in Frankfurt and has a companion book available in German.