Jil Sander fall 2011 campaign preview: Daria Strokous, ph: Willy Vanderperre, stylist: Olivier Rizzo

Willy Vanderperre photographed Daria Strokous for the fall 2011 Jil Sander campaign in Paris on April 23, 2011 with stylist Olivier Rizzo.

Jil Sander Fall 2011 Campaign
Model: Daria Strokous
Photographer: Willy Vanderperre
Stylist: Olivier Rizzo
Creative Director: Raf Simons

Jil Sander Fall 2010 Campaign II - Daria Strokous, ph: Willy Vanderperre, stylist: Olivier Rizzo

Willy Vanderperre photographed Daria Strokous for the spring 2011 Jil Sander campaign in Paris on November 13, 2010 with stylist Olivier Rizzo.

Jil Sander Spring 2011 Campaign
Model: Daria Strokous
Photographer: Willy Vanderperre
Stylist: Olivier Rizzo

Jil Sander Fall 2010 Campaign - Daria Strokous, ph: Willy Vanderperre, stylist: Olivier Rizzo

Willy Vanderperre photographed Daria Strokous for the spring 2011 Jil Sander campaign in Paris on November 13, 2010 with stylist Olivier Rizzo.

Jil Sander Spring 2011 Campaign
Model: Daria Strokous
Photographer: Willy Vanderperre
Stylist: Olivier Rizzo

Jil Sander fall 2010 campaign preview: Kasia Struss, ph: Willy Vanderperre, stylist: Olivier Rizzo

Willy Vanderperre photographed Kasia Struss for the Fall 2010 Jil Sander campaign on May 3rd, 2010 at Daylight Studio in Paris with stylist Olivier Rizzo.

Fall 2010 Jil Sander campaign
Model: Natasha Poly
Photographer: Willy Vanderperre
Stylist: Olivier Rizzo
Makeup: Peter Philips
Hair: Paul Hanlon

Jil Sander Fall 2009 campaign preview: Natasha Poly, Photo: Willy Vanderperre

Willy Vanderperre photographed Natasha Poly for the Fall 2009 Jil Sander campaign on May 1st, 2009 in Paris with Stylist: Olivier Rizzo.

Fall 2009 Jil Sander campaign
Model: Natasha Poly
Photographer: Willy Vanderperre
Stylist: Olivier Rizzo
Shoot date: May 1, 2009

Jil Sander for Uniqlo

I am so excited that Jil Sander is making clothes again. Clothes I can afford.

This is good news - almost as good as a new Joan Didion novel.

From: WWD:

TOKYO - Jil Sander is making her long-awaited comeback - but in a fast-fashion way.

The German designer has just signed a "design consulting agreement" to oversee the men's and women's apparel at Japanese retail giant Uniqlo. Sander and executives from Uniqlo's parent company Fast Retailing Co. Ltd., held a press conference here Tuesday to outline the terms of the deal.

"Some of you [have known] me since I have been engaged in fashion but I'm not interested in the past. Let us talk today about the future" the designer, clad in a black knee-length coat, told journalists assembled at the Four Seasons Hotel. "I'm here in Tokyo for something completely different. The challenge for me is to establish a premium quality in a democratically-priced range."

Although Sander will not receive an official title at the company, the designer will take over the creative reins for all the retailer’s products excluding accessories and children’s wear. The Japanese brand and Sander are also working to develop a special Uniqlo collection, bearing the designer’s minimalist look, set to bow for the fall season. Details regarding the collection have not yet been disclosed.

As reported in WWD last week, Sander was spotted at the Première Vision textile trade show in Paris in February, which reignited ongoing speculation she planned to return to the fashion world. Sander famously left her namesake label for the second time in 2004 after clashing with the brand’s former owner, Prada Group, and its chief executive officer, Patrizio Bertelli, over creative and control issues.

In a coincidental twist of fate, her old fashion house ended up in Japanese hands when Onward Holdings Co. Ltd. bought it last September from Change Capital Partners for 167 million euros, or $244 million. Change Capital had acquired the brand from Prada in February 2006 for about 100 million euros, or $146 million. Raf Simons, the brand’s current creative director, had been put in place by Prada the previous year.

While Uniqlo has collaborated with a number of designers such as Phillip Lim, Alexander Wang and Alice Roi through its Designers Invitation Project, this is the first time the company has established a continuous relationship with a marquee name. The company’s design team has lived a relatively anonymous existence churning out colorful basics. Like Sander, Uniqlo has always put a strong emphasis on fabric innovation in its products, such as machine-washable sweaters that keep their shape and hooded sweatshirts that retain heat.

Uniqlo is one of the few retailers succeeding in recessionary Japan. The brand’s affordable line up of fashion basics has propelled months of same-store sales growth and earned chairman Tadashi Yanai the honor of Japan’s richest man, according to Forbes magazine, with a fortune estimated at $6.1 billion.

Uniqlo said earlier this month that February’s same-store sales were up 4.2 percent, advancing for the fourth consecutive month. However, the February figures represented a slowdown from the double-digit sales growth the retailer saw at the end of 2008. The retailer has been experimenting with formats in recent months, recently opening its first concept store targeting young female shoppers in their late teens and early 20s. It also has opened a concept store in Selfridges in London.

While at a fast-fashion price point, Uniqlo’s aesthetic mirrors Sander’s signature minimalism. Talk of when the designer would return to fashion began almost the moment she left Prada five years ago — with the rumor mill speculating she was consulting to Gap in Europe, looking to introduce a home furnishings collection, or simply leading a quiet life in her native Hamburg and working on her garden. Her return to her signature label for the second time in May 2003 was filled with hope that she and Bertelli could find common ground. “We’re taking the patience and the time to learn about each other,” she said at the time. “We are two strong characters and two entrepreneurs and different cultures.”

But a year later, Sander exited again. Now the designer, 65, is back in fashion in a segment of the market that is increasingly linking with major designers. H&M has teamed up with a string of well-known fashion names, including Karl Lagerfeld, Stella McCartney, Viktor & Rolf, Roberto Cavalli and, most recently, Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons.

Jil Sander and Fast Retailing chairman Tadashi Yanai:

Closing Music from Jil Sander

The closing music for Jil Sander spring 2009 was “Camille’s Theme” from the film “Le Mepris.”

Jil Sander fall 2008 campaign - Natasha Poly, ph: Willy Vanderperre, stylist: Olivier Rizzo

Willy Vanderperre photographed Natasha Poly for the fall 2008 Jil Sander campaign on March 27 & 28 at The Bridge Loft, 110 Bridge Street, In Brooklyn NY. Stylist: Olivier Rizzo, Makeup: Peter Phillips, Hair: Didier Malige.