In front of me sit two well-put-together humans: one in all black, wearing a shirt cut so precise it seems like it was created in another universe, and the other in a simple, yet luxurious, grey sweater with a shirt collar peeking just slightly from the neck. I’m sitting across from Luke and Lucie Meier, the Creative Directors of Jil Sander. True to form, they are impeccably dressed. While I could talk about the clothes they design for hours (it’s long been my dream to get married in a pin-perfect bespoke Jil Sander suit), today’s topic is fragrance—the new Jil Sander Olfactory Series 1 collection, to be specific.
On a balmy day during Milan Fashion Week, squeezed between an already jam-packed show schedule, I was invited to the Jil Sander HQ to discuss all things olfactory. I was about to meet two of my style heroes and had planned to play it super cool, but the reality was far from that. Due to several late shows, I scrambled across the city and arrived in a cloud of dust, almost resembling Taz, the Tasmanian devil—not quite the chic first impression I wanted to make. Once I stepped through the doors into the Jil Sander oasis of sophistication, a cool sense of calm washed over me. That’s the level of detail considered at such a design-led house. Everything about the brand exudes cool: it’s calming, minimalist and profoundly sophisticated. Something that has, naturally, made its way into the fragrance offering.
