Runway

Jil Sander Returns to Scent—In Minimalist “Individual” Style

The day after the Jil Sander spring 2025 presentation in Milan, I meet with designers Lucie and Luke Meier over espresso to chat. There’s something in the air I can’t quite place—a quiet excitement of projects on the precipice of going from secret to seen.

“Sometimes the timing of things can be a bit strange,” Luke jokes. “There are so many things going on at the same time and we lose the fact that nobody outside of us knows. Until now.” Today is what he calls “the big ta-da moment”: Jil Sander is re-entering the world of fragrance with six thoughtfully designed eaux du parfum, known as Olfactory Series 1.

Each scent has a strong name that gives a hint to the juice that’s bottled inside: Black Tea, Earth, Leaf, Coffea, Miel, and Smoke. “These are very honest fragrances, which keeps in line with our design aesthetic,” Luke says. “They aren’t complicated with different elements, but instead are clean and pure notes.” In a way, these scents intermingle and pay homage to the fragrances of the past, released by the Jil of Jil Sander, with names like Sun, Sensations, and Sport.

Today, Luke is wearing Leaf. Described as a “cloud of greenness,” it’s a blend of key lime, cardamom, Black Krim tomato, and aldehydes that’s bright and bold. Lucie is feeling a bit drained from the day before—so Miel, an unexpected honey scent with upcycled Cedarwood, vetiver, and jasmine grandiflorum that’s more cozy than sweet—is her scent du jour. “Not to be a politician, but I really like all the scents,” Lucie confesses. “But today, I wanted something cozier to go with my sweater.”

Jil Sander is known for having a practical, functional streak—and of course, it’s something carried through to the fragrance collection. “Sustainability is very important to us,” Luke says (Lucie adds “It should be important to everybody”). The bottles are refillable and remarkably, carbon dioxide is used to extract specific notes like patchouli leaves, tea, and elemi plant leaves. It’s something that adds clarity to each of the individual notes, but also is an eco-friendly measure.

Of course, the bottles themselves are statements, too. Made in collaboration with FormFantasma, each of the glass flacons is perfectly imperfect and meant to have bubbles and other things once considered by the industry to be imperfections. “We felt that this made the bottles very soulful and added a human touch,” Luke says. “Packaging can be very industrial and we wanted to make it artisanal.”

In lieu of a cap, each bottle comes with a white porcelain bell jar that fits snugly atop. It’s incredibly satisfying to slide it on and off. “It felt very human, to create this gesture of placing the cap on after using it,” Lucie says. It’s practical, too—sun exposure can quickly decay a fragrance and the opaque top blocks potential damage. “We liked the natural colors of the bottle and the fragrance, so this was our solution.”

Clearly, it’s Olfactory Series 1 that’s in the air—or at least, the electricity surrounding it. “These fragrances are designed for the individual wearer,” Luke reflects at the end of our conversation. “From the moment you take the top off to living in the scent and realizing—it makes you feel strong and powerful.”

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