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MILAN -- Hoping to turn off the rumor mill but ignite a new buzz, Prada Group on Thursday appointed Raf Simons as creative director of Jil Sander.
The Belgian men's wear designer, who takes over July 1, will be in charge of Sander's men's and women's collections, starting with the fall-winter 2006 season. Prada's announcement confirms a report in WWD on Thursday.
Simons' appointment comes six months after Jil Sander surprised the fashion world by leaving the company she founded more than 30 years ago, for the second time. Since then, the collection has been done by Sander's design team, which will continue to oversee the line for cruise and spring-summer 2006. Simons' first effort for Sander will be the men's wear collection to be shown in January 2006.
Gian Giacomo Ferraris, chief executive officer of Jil Sander, told WWD that when he met Simons last January, he was impressed by the designer's "managerial sense."
"He is a great communicator and is one of the few designers who doesn't leave a business meeting after two minutes," said Ferraris. "The premise is that we're not doing a Raf Simons...