It seems that fashion is playing a dizzying and never-ending game of musical chairs. Last month, Chloe's Clare Waight Keller took Ricardo Tisci's spot at Givenchy; in 2015 Raf Simons left Dior after three years to become chief creative officer at Calvin Klein (his first collection was much celebrated this season); last summer Maria Grazia Chiuri left Valentino to replace Simons at Dior; yesterday it was revealed that Massimo Giorgetti has exited Pucci, and today another announcement: Jil Sander has appointed husband-and-wife duo Luke and Lucie Meier as the new creative directors of the brand. The Meiers are replacing former Prada womenswear design director Rodolfo Paglialunga, who succeeded the brand's eponymous founder (who, in turn, has left the brand three times before). Only in fashion could reshuffles take place at such breakneck speed.
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However, the duo are no strangers to the fast-paced world of fashion: Lucie has worked at Balenciaga and Louis Vuitton, and headed up the womenswear design team at Dior between Raf Simons and Maria Grazia Chiuri. Luke is one-half of casual wear label OAMC and is the former head designer of streetwear label Supreme. Will we see the minimalist brand taken in a sports-influenced direction a la Louis Vuitton x Supreme?
While there is no doubt about the pair's credentials, this is the first time they have worked together. The couple, who met in Florence at the fashion school Polimoda, spoke to WWD about their early introduction to the Milan-based German brand: "My mother is a big Jil Sander fan, those were the only designer clothes she would buy", Lucie said. "That was my introduction to fashion. She would dress super chic in Jil Sander clothes and I liked their impact, how they would transform her."
According to Vogue, Alessandra Bettari, the brand's chief executive, said we could expect "the creation of very clever collections", thanks to the duo's "vision, which is modern, cohesive, and in touch with what is relevant now."
The Meiers will work across both menswear and womenswear, and their first collection for Jil Sander will be June's pre-collections – we're excited to see what's in store.