Three years in the making — and finally, Jil Sander enters the world of furniture design. Her first collaboration, with heritage brand Thonet, was presented in a quiet but precise installation in Brera during Milan Design Week. Of course, she brought her own lighting team to set the tone. That tells you everything. It’s not a loud debut. No big press moment. Only objects — perfectly composed, unmistakably hers.
The JS . THONET collection revisits the iconic S 64 cantilever chair by Marcel Breuer. But instead of changing the frame, Sander focused on refinement: titanium-gloss metal, brushed moss canework, matte nickel silver. It’s all about materials. Every surface, every shade, adjusted until it felt right. That same sharp eye from her fashion years — still fully present.
This time, channelled into design. Nordic has its airy lightness and whitewashed calm. Serious — which I secretly call Sexy — comes deeper: graphite-toned, leather-wrapped, confident. Each line includes a matching B 97 nesting table, originally designed in 1933.
“My goal was to take the S 64 as Breuer meant it to be and bring it into the here and now.”
— Jil Sander
I love the Serious collection. Like well-tailored fashion, it speaks through subtle choices.
And for her next fashion story? A different chapter altogether.
Photography courtesy of Thonet, Hartmut Nägele, and the author.
Discover more: www.thonet.de
