Hard & soft Fendi

A gallery of hypnotic lights. A soundtrack with techno vibrations. The hard soul of Fendi in dialogue with the delicacy of a chiffon dress. Bella Hadid opens the show of the Lvmh maison with wet hair pulled on her face. A pair of transparent glasses, a pale pink see-through petticoat dress, a fur bolero and long cashmere gloves. «I wanted her to open it because I knew she would love the collection», Kim Jones, at the helm of the brand's womenswear, flanked by Silvia Venturini Fendi for bags and Delfina Delettrez Fendi for jewels, told MFF. Hard and soft. A calibrated mix between these two worlds dominates a season that draws inspiration from two collections from the maison’s past, the Memphis one and the s-s 2002 one.

«There is a dual conversation going on, linked to as many collections that I loved very much. The 1986 Memphis one first and foremost. One day, Delfina (Delettrez Fendi, ed.) came to work with a shirt stolen from Silvia, which I immediately loved. And I said to myself, I want to do a collection with it!», Jones continued. «So, we reproposed it this season. The other one is s-s 2002, which featured chiffon as the big star». Lightness and tailoring. Pastel colours and masculine fabrics. In a mix calibrated to bring into the future the heritage of the maison, which has become a large creative family in the last year, since the arrival of Kim Jones. «Families are not only those you find yourself in, but also those you choose», Silvia Venturini Fendi added.

«I have a long-standing friendship with Kim. Many challenges characterized this year, but we overcame them thanks to the ability to dialogue he has demonstrated with everyone. From the first day he arrived, he felt as if he had always been here». That harmony emerges also in his ability to draw on the archives without distorting them. The collection features geometric prints, a tribute to Karl Lagerfeld's love of art. Chiffon petals blend with tweeds that are screwed onto the body in the geometric shapes of sensual corsets, from which collars and sleeves of mannish shirts emerge, and fitted jackets. Functionality is expressed in blazers with detachable sleeves turning into vests or belts with large pockets and cell phone holders that embellish many of the outfits. The collection of O'Lock jewels appears for the first time in the prints on the ethereal dresses showing up in the finale. A fil rouge between jewels and wardrobe that concerns the bags as well, a culmination of Fendi’s world: from the Peekaboo to the Baguette, turning 25 years old, up to the O'Lock also inspired by jewels. A dialogue becoming more and more a family affair.

Judgment. «It is a wardrobe designed for every aspect of a woman's life, for every generation. And it all started with Delfina». Kim Jones continues his tribute to the Fendi generations by exploring their archives that are nothing more than the family wardrobe. The result is a respectful look at the past, rebalanced to project it into the future. In an authentic family tale. (All rights reserved)