From The Straits Times    |

Jil Sander believes fashion has moved “more backwards than forwards” over the last decade.

The designer is helming her eponymous label again and is gearing up to show the main line at the upcoming Milan Fashion Week.

She has a chequered past with the fashion house, having left in 2000 and then returned, only to decide she needed a new challenge again in 2004.

When Raf Simons departed to head up Christian Dior last year, Jil was confirmed as his successor and has explained how things have changed since her last stint at the company.

“The past decade was a time of disorientation. Stylistically, fashion moved more backwards than forwards. Economically, though, things changed a lot. Globalisation triggered the huge accessories market,” she told British magazine Vogue.

Sander was asked what she has learnt from her time away from the industry.

She insists there isn’t much she would tell her 25-year-old self, as she has no desire to change her career trajectory. Her only wish is that she hadn’t spent so much time fretting.

“You always learn from crucial moments. But situations are never the same and it isn’t as easy as it seems to apply past lessons. One thing I can say; I realised that there is a reason for everything,” the 69-year-old star said.

“To live simply, follow your dreams and never forget that anything can happen around the next corner. But the most important thing for me is to stay creative. This is a great motor. While I work, I am free of concern.” — Cover Media