Fendi: a three-generation "Eternal Romance" between the traditional and experimental
"We were a small ideas workshop that has reached out to the world."
Anna Fendi
Photo: www.annafendi.com
It all started in the distant 1925, when a young married couple opened the small shop on the busy street Via del Plebiscito in the center of Rome. Their names were Adele and Edoardo Fendi - this alliance successfully united fur and leather craftsmanship of the wife and husband's entrepreneurial skills.
Twenty years later, the two-men enterprise expanded into the real family business, when daughters Alda, Anna, Carla, Franca, and Paola joined their parents. In 1954, after their father died, they became known as "five fingers of a hand." Each sister played her role in the boutique sharing responsibilities and covering all primary divisions from the manufacturing to the sales.
Photo: www.annafendi.com
It was the five daughters who in 1965 invited Karl Lagerfeld, at that time still an emerging talent, for the Creative Directory of the brand - and he stayed for nearly the rest of his life. Now iconic designer led the creation process of the very first 1977 net-a-porter collection, proving everybody that fur could be elegant and chic. With the help of artisans, Lagerfeld experimented with the fabric, achieving its unprecedented versatility and lightness. Masterpiecefully, the designer was also able to integrate leather in the everyday looks, without restraining its wearability.
Photo: www.annafendi.com
The 70s were one of the most significant decades for Fendi establishment as a luxury house. Those times were marked by the creation of the symbolic "double FF" logo and growing Fendi's as well as clothing line that now included menswear, accessories, homeware, fragrances.
His right hand was Silvia Venturini Fendi, the daughter of Anna Fendi, who has been an invaluable asset to the brand as a third-generation representative of Fendi clan. It was under her able leadership when the first legendary Baguette bag came to life in 1997, released in over 1000 number of variations since that day. Another famous Peekaboo and Scelleria models also were the creations, masterminded by Venturini Fendi.
In 2015, always-on-the-lookout Fendi house fundamentally transformed its core concepts. The Italian office was moved into the Palazzo Della Civiltà, to symbolize its balance between the heritage, traditional values along with staying on track with the 21st - century trends. This vision further ran through like golden threads in the series of the photographs for Fendi Couture 2015-2020 Collections, with the building towering in the background.
Since 2019 the Lagerfeld-Venturini Fendi duo has replaced Silvia's monologue. The founder's granddaughter got the responsibilities of creative director- her latest SS2020 collection features warm colors, floral prints, and the spirit of "reset."
It seems like the upcoming years under Venturini Fendi leadership will go with her tagline - "You think of the practicality of things." "I want women to feel natural and good in these clothes," the designer shared her vision. Being a part of the great dynasty, she knows best the heritage of Fendi House. "Creativity, fun & craftsmanship" -these are the three words-core values that headline Fendi social media page and represent its modern identity.
