Here’s Looking At You, Fendi!

1946: The most important rendezvous The five daughters of Eduardo and Adele begin working for the family business, developing new products for the leather goods and fur lines. A few years later, the Fendi sisters meet Karl Lagerfeld, a young rising star making waves in the Paris design circuit. In his hands, fur is revolutionised—redesigned and reinterpreted, transforming into an über-fashionable, softer, lighter item of clothing. Skins that had been neglected are used in production once again. The “double F” is designed and becomes an all important feature. Lagerfeld joins the company in 1965 and the collaboration continues even today. 1925: The beginning of an eternal fairytale Eduardo and Adele Fendi—a young couple—set up their first handbag shop and fur workshop in Via del Plebiscito, Rome, bringing to life the house of Fendi, now recognised worldwide as the Roman luxury fashion house that everyone looks up to. The newfound brand immediately wins great acclaim for its superior-quality products. For the Roman bourgeoisie, a trip to “Fendi at the Plebiscito” becomes a date with a certain prestige. The fur workshops expand and between the 1930s and ’40s, the Fendi name, already well known in Rome, begins to ride the fame wave worldwide. 1977: Fendi grows to become a phenomenon The Fendi bag gradually gets transformed, setting new rules of elegance and practicality, innovation and style. Rigid handbags make way for soft, unstructured bags. The leather is printed, woven, dyed and tanned, becoming softer and more attractive, and thus begins the journey of a new generation of Fendi bags. The success of furs and bags urges the brand to create for itself a complete image of Fendi’s luxe style. Hence, in 1977, Fendi presents its first ready-to-wear collection through the groundbreaking film Histoire d’Eau, considered the first fashion film, which the brand recently restored. The 18-minute short by Jacques de Bascher tells of a young woman vacationing in Rome while her parents believe she’s in a spa in Baden Baden. Dressed in Fendi, she bathes in the city fountains, collecting water in glass vials. 2000: High stakes The LVMH Group acquires a stake in Fendi, becoming, in 2004, the sole majority shareholder. The very next year, Fendi celebrates its 80th anniversary with the opening of Palazzo Fendi in Rome. The new headquarters in the heart of the city hosts the brand’s creative soul, the studios, the fur atelier and the largest Fendi boutique in the world. 2003: A star is reborn Selleria, a path-breaking line of bags, made entirely by hand, is reinterpreted and relaunched. Originally created by Adele Fendi, it is offered in a new time and space, with the same techniques. Handbags, travel bags and small leather goods are made from cuoio fibre and hand finished by master saddlers, in a limited edition series. Of course, it resurfaces as a hit, yet again! 1987: Karl and Silvia—A fine blend Silvia Venturini Fendi, daughter of Anna Fendi, brings more power to the company when she takes over as the Creative Director for Leather Goods and Accessories. She immediately modifies the physician bag and redesigns the brand’s best-selling Selleria collection. “Karl Lagerfeld started working with my mother and her sisters in the ’60’s and went from being the maestro that I looked up to, quite literally, as a small child, to a trustworthy, extraordinary person to share experiences and ideas with,” she says of her association with Lagerfeld. “He managed to transform the traditional image of fur from a status symbol, valuable yet a little weighty and stiff, into a new modern item of clothing. I have the greatest respect for Karl’s work.” In 1988, Fendi includes the watches collections under the creative direction of Silvia. 1985: A fragrant year Fendi celebrates its 60th anniversary and the 20th anniversary of its association with Karl Lagerfeld. To mark the occasion, the Museum of Modern Art in Rome organises an exhibition named Un Percorso di Lavoro. London's Harrods Department Store allocates 26 shop windows to Fendi alone—the first of its kind in the cooperation history of Harrods. This year, for the first time, a museum—the National Gallery of Modern Art in Rome—opens its doors to celebrate the milestone anniversaries. The exhibition ‘Fendi-Karl Lagerfeld: A Working History’, illustrates the entire creative and technical process involved in producing a new collection. The occasion is immortalised with the arrival of the first Fendi perfume.

The Fendi Baguette, envisioned and designed by Silvia in 1997, instantly became one of the most coveted and passionately collected accessories of the decade, bagging the Fashion Group International award for accessories in 2000. To be carried under the arm like the French loaf from which it takes its name, the deceptively small and simple Baguette became a fashion essential. It has been produced in more than thousand versions and materials—from richly embroidered ones to those in denim, from the ones with high-tech workmanship to preciously hand-crafted, and of course in innumerable colours. Here are our favourites… Fendi held a series of activities in 2012 to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the Baguette, including a custom-making concept store and Fendi manuals published by the Rizzoli company. With their clever Spring/Summer 14 collection, Fendi made the impossible possible. They gave fur and sheer organza—the stars of their collection—an undeniably wearable role. Women who long to wear luxurious mink but live in hot climates can now amp up their wardrobes with a hint of it. The knee-length dresses, tops and skirts with mink cut-outs of geometric patterns are perfect for that summer stroll along the Villa Borghese or even for a night out in a hot Asian city—Hong Kong to New Delhi.

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THE FENDI BAGUETTE SUMMER FUR 2013: Fendi for Fountains Fendi announces its will to sustain and lend value to the Italian historical heritage by being the sole patron for the restoration of the Trevi Fountain through the Fendi for Fountains initiative. FENDI’S MOST MAJESTIC ICONS 2007: Breaking boundaries On October 19, 2007 Fendi becomes the first fashion house in the world to stage a fashion show on the Great Wall of China, a remarkable event that will be remembered for generations to come.

2014: Fendi enters the men’s universe High fashion for men is the brand’s new mission. And the same has translated into an entire floor at the Fendi London boutique, designed with sophistication befitting a highend men’s club. This Fendi boutique at New Bond Street introduces for the first time the new concept of the Fendi Men’s collection, showcasing the entire product range from leather goods to ready-to-wear, textiles and shoes. The brand’s first menswear collection was, of course, released in Milan. In keeping with its focus on men’s fashion, the brand has also launched the Peekaboo bag for men—a new take on the iconic women’s bag, as part of its Fall/Winter 14-15 collection.