Jil Sander Navy was a womenswear extension line positioned below the main collection in price and aimed at a younger customer. Announced in 2010, it debuted with its Spring/Summer 2011 collection, rather than being a separate company founded by Jil Sander. Drapers reported that its prices were about 40 percent below the main collection.
The Jil Sander Navy wordmark
The archive image shows the words JIL SANDER above NAVY, aligned at the left. JIL SANDER appears in heavy uppercase letters, while NAVY is thinner and more open. The two lines create contrast through weight and scale rather than through an icon or emblem. This describes the visible artwork; it does not establish a typeface or the mark’s official design history. A blue garment label was also reported as an identifier for the line, but no symbolic meaning for its colour is documented. FashionUnited noted the label when covering the launch.
Meaning and history
2010 – Today
The “Today” in this archive heading does not describe the line’s present status. Navy’s first collection was womenswear for Spring/Summer 2011 and reached stores from January that year. Its launch included a dedicated website and a campaign featuring model Valerija Kelava photographed by David Sims, as Milano Finanza reported. The first shop-in-shop opened at Isetan in Tokyo in February 2011.
In 2012, parent company Onward listed establishing Navy as an independent brand among its growth plans. That was a corporate ambition; Navy remained an extension line of Jil Sander. Later coverage described a retail presence in Japanese department stores, a Milan street store and wholesale distribution in Europe, the United States and China. WWD Japan reported those markets and locations.
The line ended after its Spring/Summer 2019 collection, with operations ceasing in July. The house’s stated rationale was to strengthen the main collection following the arrival of creative directors Lucie and Luke Meier. FashionNetwork covered the closure and final collection. The Jil Sander Navy wordmark is therefore a historical identity, not a current line mark.
The parent house was founded in Hamburg in 1968. Onward acquired Jil Sander in 2008, and OTB announced its acquisition of the label from Onward in 2021. Navy did not have separate ownership. Reuters reported the sale to OTB.
Disclaimer
This article is part of the educational resources provided by Logo Index, an independent archive covering logos, visual identities and graphic design history. Jil Sander Navy and associated trademarks and brand assets remain the property of their respective rights holders where applicable.
