Bellotti's Hamburg soundscapes: A preview of his Jil Sander debut

Simone Bellotti brings Jil Sander back to Hamburg. But what does the new creative director's debut sound like and what does it reveal about his future direction for the brand?

Even before his official catwalk debut as creative director of Jil Sander, Bellotti has offered a first glimpse into his vision. Instead of a fashionable tour de force, the Italian fashion designer opted for an atmospheric video called "Wanderlust", which focused on music and the Hanseatic city of Hamburg.

Bellotti paid homage to the label's origins, returning to the place where Heidemarie Jiline "Jil" Sander opened her first boutique in 1968. The designer's decision to choose Hamburg and turn his back on Milan, at least for now, seems more than symbolic. It appears as a programmatic indication of how seriously he takes the house's DNA. In an industry where changes in creative leadership are often accompanied by great theatrical pathos, this debut seems almost decelerated but by no means powerless. On the contrary, the video seems like a quiet prelude with the potential for a long reverberation.

Preview without fashion

For his first preview of his vision for Jil Sander, Bellotti not only decided against Milan, but also largely against fashion in the classic sense. Clothing took a backseat to a vision defined more by music and atmosphere. The video is accompanied by a previously unreleased track by the Italian composer Bochum Welt, whose real name is Gianluigi Di Costanzo. He is an artist with a German-sounding alias, whose music oscillates between technoid melancholy and intellectual electronica.

This choice hardly seems accidental. Rather, it suggests that this very field of tension – Germany and Italy, intellectualism and nostalgia – could also shape Bellotti's own signature.

Like the brand itself, the chosen music appears intellectual, minimalist and permeated with emotional undertones. These are qualities that correspond to both Hamburg's architecture and Jil Sander's purist approach.

The titles of the vinyl EP produced especially for this project – available in Jil Sander stores from August – also tell of inner tensions and contrasts: Crystal Ice; Wanderlust; Shades; Night’s Frost; San Peder a Sent; More Light (Escape Mix); and Cresting Waves seem like sonic musings on day and night, standstill and movement, urbanity and nature. These are themes that could also shape Bellotti's debut collection.

The video itself also appears reduced, but rich in symbolism. Bellotti, who previously worked at Bally and had formative stints at Carol Christian Poell and Gianfranco Ferré, uses the return to Hamburg as more than just a historical reference. He signals a possible return to the source, not only geographically, but ideologically. Jil Sander has always stood for a special kind of rigour: the intellect of the Bauhaus, the restraint of German minimalism and the sensuality of androgyny. For Bellotti, this formula seems less a relic and more a blueprint to be further developed.

Another creative upheaval for Jil Sander

What should benefit him is his experience in dealing with traditional brands. At the Swiss label Bally, founded in 1851, which he most recently led as creative director, he found subtle ways to incorporate Swiss folklore – from small cowbells to the legend of the Engadine mermaids – into his designs. He did this without alienating the brand known for its leather craftsmanship or losing his own signature.

His talent for embedding personal narratives even in the strictest brand architecture could also benefit him at Jil Sander. The challenge Bellotti now faces lies in the balance between respecting heritage and developing his own signature. Jil Sander is familiar with such creative transitions. Since the founder's first withdrawal in 2000, the house has experienced several changes of ownership and designers: from the Italian luxury group Prada to the fashion conglomerate OTB (Only The Brave), from the intellectual elegance of Raf Simons to the sophisticated craftsmanship of Luke and Lucie Meier.

Now it is up to Bellotti to grapple with the brand's deep roots in German design ideals. His first collection in September will show where his creative journey will take him. However, in Hamburg, much already pointed to the beginning of a new chapter. One without a radical break, but as a respectful further development.

This article was translated to English using an AI tool.

FashionUnited uses AI language tools to speed up translating (news) articles and proofread the translations to improve the end result. This saves our human journalists time they can spend doing research and writing original articles. Articles translated with the help of AI are checked and edited by a human desk editor prior to going online. If you have questions or comments about this process email us at info@fashionunited.com