HOME SWEET HOME: One of the much-anticipated debuts in Milan next week, Simone Bellotti’s first collection for Jil Sander will be unveiled in a special location, WWD has learned.
The designer is bringing the brand back to its historic show space in Piazza Castello — a few steps from the city’s landmark Sforzesco castle — inside a 19th century building that also houses its headquarters.
The space, which was a movie theater prior the 1950s renovations, is marked by off-white interiors and a minimal design. Wide windows overlooking the square make for a standout element, offering a stunning view on the medieval fortification built in the 15th century by Francesco Sforza, Duke of Milan.
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While details on Bellotti’s inaugural collection are still under wraps, the venue makes for a telling choice with its contrast between essential and modern interiors versus the view on a storied building. The location’s size — quite smaller compared to industrial locations the brand has chosen for its shows in the past few seasons — also signals a more intimate approach adopted by Bellotti — and likely fewer tickets available for the show scheduled on Wednesday at 10.30 a.m. CET.
The venue’s back-to-the-roots symbolism can’t go unnoticed, too. It builds on the moody music video the company released over the summer as a teaser of Bellotti’s tenure and that was shot in Hamburg, where founder Heidemarie Jiline “Jil” Sander launched the label in 1968.
Bellotti joined Jil Sander, under the OTB umbrella, from Bally in March, succeeding Luke and Lucie Meier.