Jil Sander, the enigmatic and somewhat reclusive German designer known for her minimalist aesthetic is returning to fashion after a 5 year hiatus - but not to the world of upmarket luxury fashion that she's been associated with since the 1980s. No, she's coming to Uniqlo.While this mass retail chain specializing in affordable casualwear (think Japanese Gap) has had its share of high-low collaborations including some of my personal favorite designers Phillip Lim and Alexander Wang, the collaboration with Sander is a little different. Her line at Uniqlo, called +J, is not a limited-time only capsule collection. Sander signed on to Uniqlo as its creative director!
Besides the clothes which are expected to be available by October, I'll also be interested in the tenor of the marketing campaign surrounding the cheap chic collection. Already, the line (like so many previous cheap chic lines) is incorporating the language of democracy into its sartorial identity. Hangtags for the collection will include the message: "Quality for the people" and Sander has stated that her goal at Uniqlo is "to establish a premium quality in a democratically-priced range." How will +J, a fast fashion label, articulate and accelerate neoliberal identifications with democracy now that the ethical politics of fashion has shifted to the slow fashion movement of sustainable fabrics and recession-friendly trans seasonal "investment pieces"?
A postscript: I'm anxiously awaiting the delivery of three generations of cheap chic style manuals (Caterine Milinaire's 1978 Cheap Chic: Update; Kate Hogg's 1982 More Dash than Cash; and Kira Jolliffe and Bay Garnett's 2008 The Cheap Date Guide to Style). Look for a forthcoming post comparing the principles and meanings of "cheap chic style" and democracy across the disco generation, the me generation, and the O generation!
UPDATE: Vogue now has a sneak peek at some of the pieces from this collaboration.
