FENDI FUN HOUSE. Unlike Fendi, not many maisons would admit that fashion is fun. The brand founder’s granddaughter professes her admiration for past artists and intellects
Fashion is a fickle subject. Trends come and go; a brands’ signature can change season after season. Of course, constant reinvention is exactly what makes up the backbone of the industry. This is certainly nothing new for Silvia Venturini Fendi, granddaughter of Eduardo and Adele Fendi, founders of the famed Italian house known for furs and, more recently, “it” bags. As a matter of fact, it was Silvia who came up with probably the most recognizable “it” bag for ladies in the late 1990s and 2000s: the Baguette bag. Then, she pushed forward with the Monster bag and, last year, the FendiFaces bag for men. While fashion keeps changing, it seems that Silvia really knows how to ride that unpredictable wave of change.
A light jacket made of terrycloth; a colorful jacket with cutout sneakers
All that, however, might not become immediately clear when you look at Fendi men’s spring/summer 2017 show. There was a pool in the middle of the catwalk, and the collection showed a lot of artistic interpretations that gave a new lease on life to the fun-looking FendiFaces. It was also quirky and artsy, with Albert Einstein and Pablo Picasso as just two of the collection’s many inspirations.
A light jacket made of terrycloth; a colorful jacket with cutout sneakers
Fur, which has been the brand’s forte, also underwent a new transformation. To recreate fur in a way that would be apt for summer, Silvia shrewdly used terrycloth—a material primarily used for towels—for a new range of light jackets and other essentials for men. It is that notion of luxury “imitation” that appears as a leitmotif connecting Fendi’s icons through the years, from the Baguette bag which obviously resembles an actual baguette to the Monster and FendiFaces that take after their real-life counterparts.
Unique cutout laced shoes
And then there’s one final inimitable ingredient to their recipe for success: Silvia’s fun personality along with her penchant to cheekily poke at men’s fashion and bring out that Italian flamboyance in all of us.
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