This October JIL SANDER x MONCLER DEBUT “CITY OF GENIUS has dropped. Luke and Lucie Meier are the cool kids of the moment. Fresh off a high after the Fashion Week Jil Sander show. The husband-and-wife design duo sits at a stark white conference table, ready to talk about their newest venture. Along with an array of talents including Donald Glover and Rick Owens, the two are part of the latest Moncler Genius project, “The City of Genius,” unveiled this past weekend at Shanghai Fashion Week.
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JIL SANDER x MONCLER DEBUT “CITY OF GENIUS”
The collection feels like a merging of both lanes: Jil Sander’s eccentric minimalism combined with the experimental spirit of the Moncler Genius collections. Luke says that was the goal. “If we just go in there and do what we do normally, why bother collaborating?” he asks rhetorically of their first-ever linkup with the brand. “And it shouldn’t just look like a very first-degree translation of what Moncler does either, because they could probably do [that] on their own. We feel like these projects should arrive at a finish line where it feels like neither could get there without the other one.”
The couple and creative directors at the helm of Jil Sander, the label that epitomizes modernism as a feeling and fruitfully explores the power of pared-down simplicity, since 2017, Lucie and Luke Meier have managed to stay true to the DNA of the brand. By defining the ethos of the house whilst injecting an utterly personal touch: one that commends softness, and includes a rarefied sense of decoration. Which conveys a cocooning feeling and turns the idea of comfort into an expression of elegance.
The couple is also noted for their keen sensitivity to colour, having expanded the Jil Sander palette library to unexpected new territories. And yet it’s their unique way with volume, the stress on artisanal finesse and their deft way with function that makes them an ideal candidate for a special partnership with Moncler.
JIL SANDER x MONCLER
Going after an enveloping and round feeling, Lucie and Luke Meier turned the idea of Moncler as a brand with mountain origins into an exploration of the relationship between nature and humanity. The collection explores the idea of clothing meant to dive into an elemental scenario, keeping a distinctive sense of both precision and playfulness.
LUCIE AND LUKE MEIER EXPLORE THE RELATION BETWEEN NATURE AND HUMANITY
The outdoorsy DNA of Moncler is hardly new to the design couple. Luke grew up in Vancouver, going to Whistler, while Lucie’s family is based in the Alpine playground of Zermatt. Both are avid skiers and snowboarders.
“It was quite exciting to be able to bring all of that into what we do aesthetically already,” Luke says. And utility was crucial. “When something doesn’t work very well, it’s annoying, it’s frustrating,” he says. “From architecture to even just your daily life, the things you encounter, from a pair of shoes to your shelving in your apartment. Things need to work well, and the better they work, the lighter the day feels.” When partnering with Moncler, “It was great to have the know-how to realize things well.”
The roomy and layered silhouettes, the collarless jackets and coats, the flowing dresses and the extensive use of double-face construction represent the merging of the Jil Sander language with the Moncler vocabulary. With different styles for men and women; coats hide detachable quilted linings, while roomy mohair cardigans are padded like duvets and just as protective.
A series of outerwear comes in soft-touch cotton. Knit is a textural presence throughout, in the form of fuzzy dresses and capes, while skirts and dresses swarming in 3D loops of padded ribbons hint at after-dark sophistication for the great outdoors. As a recurring signature, the Moncler logo is rendered in an abstract shape and turned into a pin which can be used as a closure or a decoration. Padded bags, hiking boots, sock boots with slender heels and cagoules complete the look, which comes in a distinctive palette of cream, black, brown, aqua, and mauve, with vibrant touches of poppy red.
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