Musical chairs is kind of the fashion industry’s steez, and no other brand can play the game like Jil Sander, whose founder has left and returned to the company a total of three times. This October, Sander announced she was stepping down yet again as creative director, after having returned to her post in February of 2012, when Raf Simons was reportedly “unceremoniously dumped” from the label.
Today, about six months after Sander’s final departure, the brand has announced that Rodolfo Paglialunga will take over as creative director for the label, with his first collection set to bow this September.
The Italian designer is an alum of Prada, where he served as womenswear design director from 1996-2006. He was named creative director at Vionnet in 2009, where he stayed until the fall of 2011. “He is the most fitting designer to write the new pages of the Jil Sander story,” said Jil Sander CEO Alessandro Cremonesi. “He has the right characteristics and the experience to evolve the Jil Sander brand in a new direction while respecting its essential traits.”
This appointment couldn’t come a moment too soon, as Jil Sander’s been eyeing the U.S., Japan and Asia at large as points of expansion in 2014.
Paglialunga is predictably stoked about his new position. “I’m deeply honored to have the opportunity to take on this role. I have boundless admiration for the brand as I strongly believe in its pure vision and values,” he told WWD. “My aim is to carry forward the fusion between sophistication, luxury and innovation and bring the house [to] the next level.”
We can’t wait to see what he churns out.
