Jet Set Names Creative Director
German designer Michael Michalsky will make his debut at the helm of the Swiss label with the fall 2019 collection.
MILAN — German designer Michael Michalsky is leading the relaunch of Jet Set.
Based in St. Moritz, the brand, which was founded in 1969, broke ground in the luxury sportswear segment and was favored by the likes of Gianni Agnelli and Grace Kelly, peaking in popularity in the Eighties.
Controlled by the Swiss Gaydoul
Group, Jet Set has tapped Michalsky to refresh its image as a genderless brand, which will debut at Paris Fashion Week in January with its fall 2019 collection. The label was previously designed by a team. Gaydoul Group has recently sold its footwear label Navy Boot to Globus.
Based in Berlin, Michalsky, who also operates his namesake label, served as global creative director of Adidas, where he re-launched Originals and helped establish Y-3 with Yohji Yamamoto until 2016, when he joined luxury brand MCM covering several roles in design.
“For me, Jet Set is really a personal love affair. Being raised in the Eighties in Germany, Jet Set was the brand you needed to wear to be considered cool,” Michalsky said. “Every week, I used to travel as a pilgrim to the Hamburg Jet
Set store, which was like a temple to me. At that time, I couldn't afford anything and the only jacket I bought at the store was at a discount.” According to the designer, that specific orange jacket, which Michalsky's mother kept stored in the basement, will be restyled and included in the brand's fall 2019 collection.
“Because of his personal relationship with the brand, his inspirations, his background and his specific skills, we thought that Michael was the perfect one to kick off a new era for the brand,” said Jet Set chief executive officer Myriam Mele, who highlighted that the label will be positioned in the premium to luxury segment of the market.
According to Michalsky, the collections will be organized as different drops, reflecting the needs of the market.
While he said one-third of the fall collection will be based on performance skiwear, “which you can actually wear in the urban environment,” a big focus will be put on high-end sportswear and accessories, including sneakers.
“I want Jet Set collections to be very bold, unexpected, unapologetic, recognizable, inspiring and very wellcrafted,” he said, adding that everything will be made in Italy. “I think that Jet Set has always set trends, not followed them. It has always been very innovative in the use of materials, colors, patterns, it was the first to use parachute nylon for clothing. The new collections will be based on the
Jet Set DNA, but they won't look retro.”
As Mele explained, the brand, which will be distributed from its showroom in Paris' Marais district, will rely on the wholesale business and will also open shops-in-shop in the most important luxury department stores.
“We will firstly focus on Europe and the United States,” she said. “Then the second step will include expansion in the Asian market.”