Jil Sander Spring 2023 Ad Campaign Review

Review of Jil Sander Spring 2023 Ad Campaign by Creative Directors Lucie and Luke Meier and Photographer Chris Rhodes with models Adwoa Aboah and Jonas Glöer

Jil Sander brings its epic and intimate photographic voyage to a somewhat unexpected location – Los Angeles – for its Spring 2023 campaign. To shoot the campaign, the brand’s creative directors Lucie and Luke Meier reunited with frequent collaborator, photographer Chris Rhodes, while an accompanying short film was directed by Gillian Garcia.

California means a desire for different ways of living and being, from the visions of the hippies to the futurism of Silicon Valley. It means radical perspectives, non-conformism, experiments with psychedelics, contradictions, and opportunities. In this sense, merging Hollywood’s sartorial glamour, workwear’s geometric patterns, womenswear, and menswear came quite naturally; we would say it is necessary.”
– Lucie and Luke Meier, Jil Sander Creative Directors

Jil Sander campaigns under the creative direction of the Meiers have brought their distinct aesthetic to some excitingly disparate (though usually European) locales, from Paris and Tuscany to New York and Iceland, and this outing marks the first time the brand has explored the California coast – a location that almost becomes the third character in Rhodes’ imagery.

A visual sense of the city’s bold and graphic nature is present across his photographs; the pop of large-scale murals, palm trees, or fire hydrants lends a potent visual rhythm to the compositions. Elsewhere, references to the city’s car culture or Hollywood legacy can be felt, but filtered through a lens that feels distinctly Jil. Meanwhile, an exploration of the rich interplay of textures that characterizes the collection comes to the fore, with feathers, sequins, silks, and delicate fabric folds creating gorgeous visual depth as they entice our eye across the images.

Though it may be best known for a mastery of minimalism, Jil Sander is in a brand that is in constant progress. It is a delight to see how the brand’s creative partners continue to respond to and embody Lucie and Luke Meier’s ever-unfolding vision for the brand, and this campaign is another beautiful example.