Jil Sander takes Marcel Breuer's cantilevered chair "to the next level" for Thonet

Fashion designer Jil Sander has launched the JS Thonet collection at Milan design week, featuring reworked versions of architect Marcel Breuer's classic S 64 chair.

Unveiled in Milan, Sander's collection features different versions of the S 64 chair alongside an updated take on Thonet's B 97 side table.

In Sander's hands, the tubular S 64 steel chair was reinterpreted for two different collections under the JS Thonet umbrella, named Serious and Nordic.

Sander, who is known for her minimalist designs, used glossy metal frames and leather upholstery in various shades for the Serious line. She also created a version in dark-hued canework.

"For me, the Serious line expresses concentration and focus," Sander said. "I wanted the chair's iconic status to be apparent at first glance and its details to slowly reveal themselves."

"The shades of leather are subtle and yet the way the Bordeaux red, olive and black are fractured by the dominant graphite tone injects emotion into the chair's design."

Nordic, meanwhile, has a nickel silver finish combined with white pigmented oak and pale leather seats. Another version of the Nordic chair was made from light-coloured canework.

"In these versions, I took a Nordic design approach, and also let myself be inspired by the sensuality of natural materials," Sander said. "To enhance this effect, I used a nickel-silver finish in the light-coloured whitewashed wood and leather version."

Sander didn't want to make any substantial changes to the chair designed by Breuer in 1929, which is known for its slender, cantilevered shape.

"I wasn't interested in completely redesigning these classics," she said. "It was more about taking them to the next level."

The JS Thonet collection also includes a side table, a new version of Thonet's B 97 side table, which the brand says is reminiscent of Breuer's nesting table B 9.

Designed to be slid over sofas, beds or armchairs, the tables also have a space-saving design that lets them slot together.

"Once the cantilever chairs were finished, they were screaming for a piece to complement them," Sander said. "So we created the nesting sidetables with matching colours and materials."

To the designer, who said she is "greatly influenced" by the Bauhaus design movement in which Breuer played a pivotal role, the JS Thonet collection isn't markedly different from Breuer's original chair.

"I strive to create a result that looks natural and not at all forced," she explained. "The signature collection simply looks as if we had taken Breuer's cantilever chair and carefully polished it. Despite the new details, the original is immediately recognisable."

Sander said her pared-back approach to fashion was also influenced by the work of other architects and industrial designers, including Japanese minimalist Tadao Ando.

"For me, the Ibaraki Kasugaoka Kyokai by Tadao Ando was a formative experience," Sander said. "American architect Jay Smith also inspired me a lot, and I spent fourteen years working with the architect Michael Gabellini. We created 80 retail spaces together."

"Zaha Hadid and I explored the idea of a collaboration but unfortunately, we never got the chance to realise all of our ideas," she added. "My own interiors were inspired by the work of Donald Judd and Eileen Gray."

Sanders' designs for Thonet mark the company's latest reimagining of its classic designs. Previously, Swedish studio Front created an asymmetric version of the 14 bentwood chair while London's Industrial Facility reinvented the 214 chair.

The photography is by Hartmut Nägele, courtesy of Thonet GmbH.

See our Milan design week 2025 guide on Dezeen Events Guide for information about the many other exhibitions, installations and talks taking place throughout the week.

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