Beginnings Founded by
Jil Sander in 1968, the company's first womenswear collection was launched in 1973, menswear followed in 1997. Her first collection – there was just one of each item – sold out in a week. From 1974, she sold her own collections alongside fashion by
Sonia Rykiel,
Thierry Mugler and others. The first fragrance – Woman Pure – was launched in 1979. Jil Sander herself became the face of the fragrance. During those years, all of the brand's boutiques were designed by New York architect
Michael Gabellini. In the 1980s, Sander presented her collections at the Milan fashion shows. With fashion alone, the company made a turnover of 20 million marks in 1981. The company
went public and was listed on the
Frankfurt stock exchange in 1989; in the process,
Sander herself sold a one-third ownership for $56 million while retaining control over the voting shares. The 1990s are considered to be the heyday of the Jil Sander brand. Flagship stores were built in
Tokyo,
Hong Kong and
Taipei, and Sander worked on the design in collaboration with Gabellini and other architects. In 1993 a flagship store was added on
Avenue Montaigne in
Paris. In 1995, the company moved into two 18th-century palazzi on Harvestehuder Weg, overlooking the
Außenalster lake in the north of Hamburg; they were redesigned by Gabellini. The footwear collaboration between Jil Sander and
Puma from 1996 onwards goes back to his and Sanders' designs – the designer sneaker King was first presented in 1996, the Easy Rider model followed in 1997. It was the first collaboration between a luxury designer and a sports equipment brand. In 1997, Jil Sander launched the men's fashion collection; Menichetti also contributed to these designs. Men's fashion soon contributed around 20 percent to group sales. Also in 1997, Jil Sander established Tailor Made, a line of hand-tailored classic suits in luxury fabrics in limited quantities.
Prada, 1999–2006 In 1999,
Prada Group bought a 75 percent
share in the company, for which it reportedly paid more than $100 million. It later increased that stake to 98 percent. At the time,
Sander said publicly that she partnered with Prada in large part to expand her brand's accessories business. Six months later, Sander departed the company as chairwoman and creative director, and nearly all the design and production staff left as well. The company, which had been profitable before the sale to Prada, lost money in 2001 and 2002. As part of the deal, she got to sit on Prada’s strategic committee, alongside Bertelli and
Miuccia Prada. All production has since been taking place in Italy. and to 37.3 million euros ($46.3 million) in 2005. 's
Neuer Wall In February 2005, the long-standing in-house design team and Sander’s longtime stylist, Joe McKenna, presented the first Jil Sander collection since the founder’s departure.
Suzy Menkes, the principal fashion writer for the
International Herald Tribune, said that some items in the collection "made exceptional pieces" but overall it "was not as strong as before." The Fall/Winter collection, however, received accolades from
IHT. Simons' first women’s collection was shown at
Milan Fashion Week in 2006. The collection received a positive review from the
Evening Standard and the
Los Angeles Times.
Change Capital, 2006–2009 In 2006,
Luc Vandevelde's London-based
private equity firm Change Capital Partners LLP bought the company from
Prada for an undisclosed sum thought to be about £68 million. It also gave equity in the company to Simons, along with two top managers.
Raf Simons remained
creative director at Jil Sander. Under Change Capital ownership, the company moved from negative
ebitda of €12.9 million in 2005 to positive ebitda of €6.1 million in 2007. In July 2008, Jil Sander finalized its
squeeze-out, initially set in motion in 2006, and fully delisted a remaining two percent stake from the
Frankfurt Stock Exchange.
Onward Holdings, 2008–2021 In September 2008, Onward Holdings Co. Ltd. (), a Japanese multi-brand
fashion conglomerate, and its European subsidiary GIBO' CO. S.p.A. acquired unlisted Violine
S.à r.l., a Luxembourg-based holding firm that had the Jil Sander brand under its wing, for 167 million euros (US$244 million). In 2019, Jil Sander collaborated with
Mackintosh on a series of functional outerwear pieces and accessories.
OTB Group, 2021–present In March 2021,
OTB Group acquired 100 percent of the Jil Sander brand. In 2022, Jil Sander launched Indulgence, a new line of apparel and accessories characterized by high-end fabrics, plush textures and buttery colors. In early 2025, Luke and Lucy Meier departed from the brand. Simone Bellotti, formerly creative director of Swiss brand
Bally, was appointed as their successor. Under Creative Director Simone Bellotti in 2025, Jil Sander launched a limited-edition vinyl EP featuring Bochum Welt (Gianluigi Di Costanzo) to accompany the brand’s Milan debut campaign. ==Leadership==