Carla Fendi personal life. Died legendary fashion designer Carla Fendi: biography and the most striking photos of the designer
Fendi is a world famous brand, the benchmark of classic Italian fashion. It specializes in the production of clothing, leather and fur products, accessories and perfumes.
Fendi was founded in 1925 in Rome by a young married couple, Adele and Eduardo Fendi. In post-war Italy, their fur and leather tailoring business became so successful that in 1932 the couple opened the first fur salon. The most skilled craftsmen worked for the spouses, so those who wanted to look good sought to buy Fendi. Due to the high quality of handmade products, the product has become wildly popular among local residents. For the Roman bourgeoisie, a trip to the “Fendi on the Plebicio” became a kind of sign of prestige.
Fendi sales grew from year to year, and soon the goods of the Italian brand become known not only in Rome, but also far beyond its borders. In 1932, the Fendi family business expands: a store opens in a lively area of Venice, on Via Piave. The Fendi brand becomes synonymous with taste and style.
Gradually, the small Fendi shop grew into a large enterprise specializing in the production of leather and fur products.
All five daughters of Adele and Eduardo (Paola, Carla, Anna, Franca and Alda) began to gradually join the family business. Subsequently, they will stand at the head of the company, dividing duties equally.
In the mid-60s, the Italian trading house begins cooperation with the young designer Karl Lagerfeld, who changes the style of the company's fur production. Gradually, Lagerfeld turned bulky and heavy fur coats into light and comfortable ones. outerwear. At this time, the company's logo was created - the famous "FF", which was also invented by the famous couturier.
The first fur coat collection created by Karl Lagerfeld was presented in 1966 and was a huge success. The best representatives of the fashion market paid attention to the talented young designer. From that time until today the Italian brand occupies a leading position in European fur production.
A few years after its founding, Fendi begins mass production of fur products. The motto of the company - excellent fur coats for a reasonable price - is relevant to this day. Therefore, Fendi's prices, although quite high, are quite justified: after all, customers are offered luxury products. Hollywood stars and representatives of royal dynasties defile in fur coats from Fendi.
The brand is known not only for its excellent fur coats, but also for equally presentable leather products, in particular, bags. Buying Fendi bags, starting from the 70s of the last century, has become possible not only in Italy and other European countries, but also in the USA and Japan.
In 1977, Fendi presented the first collection of pret-a-porter ("ready to wear") to the audience, which caused great delight. Gradually, the company begins to further expand its range: in 1984, the Fendi collections are replenished with such goods as ties, gloves, jeans, glasses, pens, lighters.
The following year, a significant event for the brand took place. The National Gallery of Modern Art in Rome (National Gallery of Modern Art in Rome) opened its doors for an event dedicated to the brand's sixtieth anniversary and twenty years of collaboration with Karl Lagerfeld. The exhibition “Fendi - Karl Lagerfeld, a working story” illustrated the entire creative and technical process of creating collections.
A decade later, the first women's perfume, Fendi, appeared almost immediately. The men's fragrance "Fendi Uomo", introduced in 1989, was no less successful.
A few years later, the Selleria line took on a second life. It was executed with the same methods and in the same style as under Adele Fendi. Clutches, travel bags and small leather accessories made of colored leather, hand-finished by craftsmen, came out in a limited edition.
In 1997, the creativity of Silvia Venturini Fendi, Creative Director of the Fashion House, led to the creation of the Baguette bag.
The success of this little handbag, to be carried under the arm like the French bread of the same name, has been enormous. It began to be produced in more than 600 versions, from unusual materials and various colors. In just a few seasons, the bag has become a cult object of desire for all world fashionistas. Following the Baguette bag, with the light hand of Silvia, the Spy bag (Spy) also appeared in 2005, and in 2006 - the B FENDI bag.
An interesting fact is that the brand's clothes are popular not only on the catwalks and in everyday life, but also on the set. At different times, the company's designers developed costumes for such famous films as "La Traviata", "Once Upon a Time in America", "The Godfather" (third part) and many others. This also greatly contributed to the popularity of the brand and increase in sales of Fendi.
Fendi women's clothing collections, despite their chic, are very restrained. Accessories are always well thought out: Fendi sunglasses, gloves and belts are strictly classical style. Nothing superfluous, only peace and nobility. In 1990, the Fendi empire finally releases a collection of clothes for men. Now the stronger sex has the opportunity to appreciate the classics of the Fendi style.
The Fendi signature bag has also changed its appearance in favor of practicality. The place of solid models was taken by soft, unstructured, bright handbags, as if woven from leather.
Fendi is majority owned by the LVMH alliance (Moët Hennessy. Louis Vuitton S.A). The decision to sell the company to the Fendi sisters was made back in 1999. The collaboration opened Fendi flagship stores in Paris and London. In 2001, the LVMH Group bought back shares in Prada and the following year acquired shares in Fendi, becoming the sole controlling shareholder in 2004.
But this does not prevent the brand from delighting its fans with new collections and remaining true to its style.
In 2005, the fashion house FENDI celebrated its eightieth anniversary. In this connection, Palazzo FENDI (FENDI Palace) was opened in Rome. This new building in the heart of Rome combines studios, fur tailors and the world's largest FENDI store.
October 19, 2007 the world saw a grand show from FENDI - the first fashion show on the Great Wall of China. 88 models participated in the show. The podium was one of the longest ever fashion shows, 88 meters (8 is considered a lucky number in China).
On February 29, 2008, in Paris, on the occasion of the opening of 22 FENDI stores at 22 Avenue Montaigne, a private concert was held for an audience of 400 guests by five-time Grammy Award winner Amy Winehouse.
Guests included such celebrities as Rihanna, Sofia Coppola, Kanye West, Claudia Schiffer, Jessica Alba and Milla Jovovich.
FENDI currently has over 160 stores in 25 countries.
The company was founded in 1918 by Adele Casagrande as a leather and fur shop in Via del Plebizio, Rome.
So in 1925, Eduardo Fendi and Adele Fendi founded their first store, which was engaged in the sale of branded products, characterized by high quality and handmade finishes. Their products very quickly became popular and after some time began to be in great demand.
Carier start
In 1932, the couple opened their own fur salon. Traditional for Fendi, high quality and elegant style made their fur coats a real standard of Italian style. After Eduardo and Adele left their business, the five daughters of the famous couple took control of the family business. Paola Fendi was in charge of fur dressing, Anna Fendi developed new collections for the company, Alda Fendi became the commercial director of the company, Carla Fendi promoted the new development strategy of the Fendi fashion house, and Franca Fendi specialized in public relations.
finest hour
In 1955, the fur and leather collection by Paola and Anna was presented for the first time. The public was delighted with the new collections and unanimously recognized the incomparable talent of Fendi's daughters. But at that time the brand was known only in the domestic market, which was clearly not enough for the new owners of the company. In order to start moving into the international fashion arena, fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld was invited to the Fendi Fashion House as creative director. Over time, the correctness of the choice was repeatedly confirmed.
Gradually the glory of the Fashion House Fendi scattered all over the world. Karl Lagerfeld completely revised fashion policy, changing the concept of all his collections. Previously, fur coats were bulky and not very comfortable, now they have turned into lightweight models with a rich color palette and unusual combinations of different types of fur. At the same time, they have not lost the luxury and splendor inherent in Fendi. Karl was an innovator, he regularly introduced new elements to the design of models, and this favorably distinguished the products of the Fashion House from everything that was presented on the market of that time.
The creative alliance between Lagerfeld and Fendi was also very successful because Paola provided Carl with a huge range of new and unusual materials, the creation of which was the result of the latest achievements in the manufacturing industry. Thus, the fashion designer was not limited and could represent a wide variety of variations from different materials, so some of the features of certain models are based on the unusual characteristics of the materials from which they are created.
In the early seventies, Karl Lagerfeld developed models of the class pret-a-porte for the new women's line of the Fashion House, besides, at the same time, he begins to create accessories. Thus, already in the eighties, the range of activities of the company Fendi expanded significantly. Previously, the target audience of the company was represented by wealthy people whose age exceeded thirty years, but now Fendi completely different buyers were needed, and the Fashion House launched a youth line called Fendissimo, together with her, the company presented a new line Fendi Casa engaged in the production of furniture products.
In 1984 Fendi begins to produce sunglasses, in 1985 he presents his first perfume line, the flagship of which was the fragrance, called Fendi. Five years later, in 1990, a new perfume was received Fantasia, after some time in 1996 appears Life Essence, in 1998 the fashion house releases perfume Theorema, and in 2001 the fragrance was introduced to the world Theorema Uomo. The range of the company also includes other flavors that have appeared at one time or another.
In 1990, sixty-five years after its founding, the company shows the public its first men's collection. In the 90s Fashion House Fendi was bought by companies Prada and LVMH in general, the owners of the company kept only forty-nine percent of the shares. However, after some time Prada ceded their stake to the French concern, making it a full-fledged owner Fendi.
In our time, the post of a designer developing lines women's clothing, still occupied by Karl Lagerfeld, Silvia Fendi is responsible for men's clothing and accessories collections in the company.
Fashion house Fendi actively expanding its influence, penetrating into new markets and developing new countries, today you can find more than a hundred branded boutiques of the company around the globe. One of the latest was a store in New York, located on Fifth Avenue. Experts say that in the future Fendi waiting for active growth, promising worthy profits. And it seems Fendi will never cease to delight the world community with new collections and original ideas
Fendi was founded in 1925 in Rome by a young married couple, Adele and Eduardo Fendi. The couple were engaged in tailoring products made of fur and leather. In post-war Italy, their business became so successful that soon Adele and Eduardo open their first leather goods store on Via del Plebizio. Due to the high quality of handmade products, the product has become wildly popular among local residents. For the Roman bourgeoisie, a trip to the Fendi on the Plebicio became a kind of sign of prestige.
Fendi sales grew from year to year, and soon the goods of the Italian brand became famous not only in Rome, but also far beyond its borders. In 1932, the brand's second store was opened - in a busy area of Venice, on Via Piave. The Fendi brand has come to be considered the epitome of taste and style.
Gradually, the small Fendi shop grew into a large enterprise specializing in the production of leather and fur products.
All five daughters of Adele and Eduardo (Paola, Carla, Anna, Franca and Alda) began to gradually join the family business. Subsequently, they stood at the head of the company, dividing responsibilities.
Fendi and Karl Lagerfeld
In the mid-60s, Fendi began cooperation with a young man who changed the style of the company's fur production. Gradually, Lagerfeld turned bulky and heavy into light and comfortable outerwear. At this time, the company's logo was created - the famous "FF". It was also invented by Carl.
The first collection of fur coats created by Karl Lagerfeld was presented in 1966 and was a huge success. The best representatives of the fashion market paid attention to the talented young designer. From that time to the present day, the Italian brand has occupied a leading position in European fur production.
Mass production
A few years after its founding, Fendi launched the mass production of fur products. The motto of that time - excellent fur coats for a reasonable price - is relevant to this day.
In the 70s, Fendi products began to be sold not only in Europe, but also in the USA and Japan.
In 1977, Fendi introduced the first collection which delighted the public. Gradually, the company began to expand the range: in 1984, the Fendi collections were replenished with such goods as ties, pens, lighters.
In 1978, The National Gallery of Modern Art in Rome (National Gallery of Modern Art in Rome) held an event dedicated to the sixtieth anniversary of the brand and twenty years of collaboration with Karl Lagerfeld. The exhibition "Fendi - Karl Lagerfeld, working history" illustrated the entire creative and technical process of creating collections.
In 1988, the first women's perfume "Fendi" appeared.. In 1989, the men's fragrance "Fendi Uomo" was introduced.
A few years later, the Selleria line, which existed under Adele Fendi, found a second life. It was made by the same methods and in the same style. , travel bags and small leather accessories made of colored leather, hand-finished by craftsmen, came out in a limited edition.
In 1997, the creativity of Silvia Venturini Fendi, Fashion House, led to the creation of the Baguette bag.
The success of this little bag, to be worn under the arm like the French bread of the same name, has been enormous. It began to be produced in more than 600 versions, from unusual materials and various colors. In just a few seasons, the bag has become a cult object of desire for all world fashionistas. Following the Baguette bag in 2005, the Spy bag (Spy) appeared, and in 2006 the B FENDI bag.
Clothing brand Fendi is popular not only in everyday life, but also on the set. At different times, the company's designers have developed costumes for such famous films as "La Traviata", "Once Upon a Time in America", "The Godfather" (third part) and many others. This also greatly contributed to the popularity of the brand and increase in sales of Fendi. In 1990, Fendi launched the first menswear collection. It was also done in a restrained elegant style.
The Fendi signature bag has been redesigned for practicality. Instead of solid models, soft, unstructured, bright handbags began to be produced.
Fendi today
Fendi is majority owned by the LVMH alliance(Moët Hennessy S.A.). The decision to sell the company was made in 1999. As a result, Fendi flagship stores opened in Paris and London. In 2001, the LVMH Group bought back the shares, acquired Fendi shares the following year, and in 2004 became the sole controlling shareholder.
In 2005, Fendi Fashion House celebrated its eightieth anniversary. In connection with the event, the Palazzo Fendi (Palace of Fendi) in Rome was opened. The new building combines studios, fur tailors and the world's largest Fendi store.
October 19, 2007 the world saw a grand show from Fendi - the first fashion show on the Great Wall of China. 88 models participated in the show. The catwalk was one of the longest in the history of fashion shows - 88 meters (8 is considered a lucky number in China).
On February 29, 2008, in Paris, on the occasion of the opening of 22 Fendi stores at 22 Avenue Montaigne, a private concert was held for an audience of 400 guests by five-time Grammy Award winner Amy Winehouse. Guests included celebrities such as Rihanna, Sofia Coppola, Kanye West, Claudia Schiffer, Jessica Alba and Milla Jovovich.
Fendi currently has over 160 stores in 25 countries.
Italian fashion house Fendi is an example of how the art of a small family-run fur tailoring has become a symbol of style, innovation and elegance from Roman streets to the Great Wall of China.
"Histoire d'Eau" is the first film in history specifically filmed by the fashion house to promote its products. Delivered in 1977, it was timed to coincide with the launch of Fendi's first ready-to-wear collection. Its director and screenwriter was Karl Lagerfeld's longtime partner, dandy and bon vivant Jacques de Bascher. In 24 minutes, he talks about a young American woman who, instead of a boring treatment on the waters of Baden-Baden, goes to Rome. Every day she writes letters home ("It's cold here, send furs", "I bought myself a kitten named Carl"), collects water from the fountains of Rome and drinks whiskey with it, orders furs from Fendi, wears them in a defiantly modern manner and goes to breakfast in the atelier of the brand at the personal invitation of Carla Fendi. This breakfast, simple, with homemade crostat pies, cheese, pasta and chianti in straw-woven fiascos, is the very embodiment of the family spirit of the brand, in which both the owner and employees stand at the cutting tables, conjuring mink skins that are about to turn into an ideal fur coat, and the client, who pays a lot of money for it, plays the role of a waitress, a kind of cheerful girl, fanchulla, pouring wine and putting the best pieces of tired masters. A symbiosis that only Lagerfeld, who has just celebrated 50 years of his work at Fendi, remembers now, but which the brand has managed to preserve by transforming it into an intangible historical heritage.
What did you start with
The golden jubilee of the Kaiser of fashion in the Italian house coincided with the 90th anniversary of the brand itself. Officially, Fendi traces its history back to 1925, when Adele Casagrande married Edoardo Fendi and the young couple opened a small leather and fur shop in the very center of Rome, on via del Plebiscito. The family occupied the rooms directly above it, and set up a workshop in the back. The newlyweds quickly had children, between 1931 and 1940 five children were born, all girls: Paola, Anna, Franca, Karla and Alda. Babies soaked up the air of the atelier from birth. Adele put them to bed in lace-lined cradles in the midst of freshly sewn bags and scraps of leather. Carla Fendi recalled her childhood: "Pieces of leather and small accessories from it were our first toys." It is not surprising that all five daughters gradually joined the family business. The eldest, Paola, was 15 years old when she started working in the workshop...
Judging by the memoirs of contemporaries, it was Adele who was the driving force behind the business, which grew rapidly. In 1932, the Fendi store moved to via Piave. In 1933, Adele, who even before her marriage owned a leather workshop where saddles and travel bags were made, came up with a special dressing of leather. Pergamena - as it was called - was distinguished by a special dyeing method that gave it a natural yellow hue, which eventually became the brand's signature color.
The sedate Italian matrons, despite the hot climate, considered it their duty to demonstrate the wealth and respectability of the family with the help of luxurious fur coats made of sable, mink, fox, ermine, astrakhan and other valuable furs. “The recognition of the family began with the phrase “Il marito ha comprato la pelliccia” (“My husband bought me a fur coat”),” says Karl Lagerfeld about the lifestyle of Italians in the late 50s. The atelier was overwhelmed with work. Here the fur was not just sewn, it was dressed, bringing the skins to perfection, a quality that could be considered a reference. The company again ran out of space. Chance intervened. On via Borgognona, leading directly to the famous Plaza de España, a cinema was to be demolished. Roman to the tips of her nails, Adele could not accept this, began to protest, and then the owner asked: "Why don't you buy it, Signora Fendi?" She did just that. Until recently, there were as many as five brand boutiques on this street: leather goods, furs, shoes, a luggage line (suitcases, chests, etc.) and ready-to-wear. In 1964, the Fendi sisters opened the brand's headquarters in Via Borgognona. A huge portrait of Adele adorned her hall.
Who is Lagerfeld?
The mid-1960s were the heyday of post-war Italy. The Cinecitta studio attracted filmmakers and stars from all over the world. In Rome, endless parties were noisy, a string of celebrities of all stripes flowed from quarter to quarter. The emerging Italian fashion did not fail to take advantage of this. In the Florentine Palazzo Pitti, they began to arrange shows for Italian fashion houses. The Fendi sisters understood that they needed to fit into a new context that threatened to leave the respectable, but too bourgeois house of Fendi in the annals of history. Despite the resistance of their mother, who thought that things were going well, in 1965 they signed a contract with a young fashion designer (the word "designer" came into use later) of German origin. His name was Karl Lagerfeld.
Lagerfeld, not without irony, recalls his first visit to Fendi: “My long hair covered with a Cerruti hat. His eyes were hidden behind dark glasses. I was dressed in an English hunting-style coat of wool with a large red and yellow check, a colorful scarf adorned my neck. Today, this view would be considered strange. And he adds: “The world of that time was completely different, it was a completely different planet. Not at all what we know today."
Drawing by Karl Lagerfeld for Fendi Karl Lagerfeld sketches - Fall/Winter 1970-71
Drawing by Karl Lagerfeld for Fendi Karl Lagerfeld sketch - Fall/Winter 1970-71
Drawing by Karl Lagerfeld for Fendi Karl Lagerfeld sketch - Fall/Winter 1971-72
Drawing by Karl Lagerfeld for Fendi Karl Lagerfeld sketches - Fall/Winter 1979-80
Drawing by Karl Lagerfeld for Fendi Karl Lagerfeld sketch - Fall/Winter 1979-80
Drawing by Karl Lagerfeld for Fendi Karl Lagerfeld sketches - Fall/Winter 1982-83
Drawing by Karl Lagerfeld for Fendi Karl Lagerfeld sketch - Spring/Summer 1985
With Lagerfeld, spring has come to Fendi. In three seconds, he drew the famous logo - two letters F folded into a castle, which is called Zucca (pumpkin). Over the past half century, the logo has appeared on thousands of Fendi items, including bags, wallets, suitcases, shoes, clothes and, of course, furs. With the full consent of the sisters, the fashion designer completely changed the concept of the house. Fendi began to make light, soft, luxurious coats, capes, coats, fur coats and jackets, expressing a rapidly changing lifestyle. The atelier began to actively search for new materials and explore techniques for processing leather and fur. The results led to a real revolution. Furs appeared in the collections, which were not previously considered luxurious. Masters fearlessly tried new methods of dyeing, tanning; fur began to be cut like a fabric, knit, make inlays out of it. Today Fendi is a recognized leader in the fur industry. Keeping traditions handmade, the house continues research in the field of materials and their processing. And Lagerfeld still creates things out of them that look to the future, but retain the values of the past...
How Fendi entered the global market
The sable and even the leopard remained in fashion, but this was not enough to attract the attention of the buyers of the largest department stores in Europe and the USA who came to Florence. At the show, it was impossible to demonstrate more than 16 models, and this made the task even more difficult. Lagerfeld came up with the "Eskimo" collection. All 16 models were made from pony skins decorated with Eskimo designs. Furs were complemented by bags ("Then no one had heard of fur bags in stores"), shoes, large soft hats with wide brim. It was a sensation. Fendi easily responded to the requests of foreign buyers, its collections appeared in the USA and Japan. Extravagant ideas are reflected not only in furs, but also in bags. Already in the late 1960s, the frames of an ordinary accessory became cramped with bags. Fendi made them from printed, intricately dyed leather, which was made soft and pliable by special processing. In 1968 to leather bags bags made of linen, fur (of course), rubber and water-repellent fabrics were added.
Around this time, the president of Bloomingdales, Marvin Traub, looked into the Fendi boutique in Rome. Lagerfeld recalls: “It was an elongated darkish hall, where steps led from the street. Three round banquettes upholstered in velvet gave the feeling of a Toulouse-Lautrec brothel. There were mirrors all around, lots of mirrors. The collections were stored in special booths, hidden from the eyes of visitors. The general atmosphere was very reminiscent of Luchino Visconti's films." In this decadently Roman place, Traub discovered a Selleria bag. Adele Fendi came up with it in the early 1930s. Sewn by hand, it was reminiscent of the skill of saddlers with a special stitch, it was soft, functional and practical. With the success of this bag, a new chapter began in the history of Fendi, which culminated in the late 1990s.
Prior to their arrival, Fendi successfully launched a ready-to-wear line in 1977 (remember the movie Histoire d'Eau?), and in 1978 they honored Adele's memory with a line of shoes that Diego Della Valle undertook to produce. The 1980s was a decade of consumption, greedy, growing, seeking to take over the world. Fendi kept up with the times. The brand opened all new lines. Jeans, gloves, ties, sunglasses, lighters, handkerchiefs, pens were supposed to represent the world of Fendi. Brand boutiques opened all over the world. Today there are about two hundred of them.
Triumph
1985 was the year of glory for the Roman fashion house. He celebrated 60 years of his success. The anniversary was celebrated by all of Rome. The National Gallery of Modern Art has staged an exhibition - the first exhibition ever devoted to fashion, in an Italian state museum. The date was "sprinkled" with a chypre floral fragrance with notes of wood and spices. This is how a perfume branch appeared on the brand tree, which today is decorated with 28 fragrances for both women and men.
The third generation of the Fendi family (five sisters had 11 children and more than 30 grandchildren) in the late 1980s began to try their hand at family business. The greatest talent was found in Silvia Venturini-Fendi, Anna's daughter. It was she who in 1990 was entrusted to head the Fendi Uomo men's line. The women of the Fendi family have shown once again that they are able to foresee the future: today the men's line is an important part of the brand's business. However, Sylvia also turned out to be a talented creator of accessories - it is to her that the world owes the phenomenon of it-bag, bags that go crazy for and that every fashionista considers necessary to buy.
Drawing by Karl Lagerfeld for Fendi Fendi Adele s.r.l. - Karl Lagerfeld sketches - Fall/Winter 1989
Drawing by Karl Lagerfeld for Fendi Karl Lagerfeld Sketch featuring himself 1988
Drawing by Karl Lagerfeld for Fendi Karl Lagerfeld sketch - Fall/Winter 1988-89
The explosion of a new universe occurred in 1997, when Sylvia Fendi, inspired by the French style of carrying a baguette from a bakery under her arm, composed a small bag with a short strap. From Carrie Bradshaw in "Sex And The City" with a purple Fendi Baguette to tabloid Madonna buying multiple Baguettes in Rome, the bag has become a symbol of the new millennium. “At that time,” Sylvia recalls, “handbags were very functional, and the most fashionable model was a black nylon Prada. I wanted to make a small bag, very simple, with a short strap, which would allow my hands to be free. I made it in incredible amount decors and materials so that women do not look the same. And got to the point. Everyone wanted the Baguette, we had to introduce waiting lists. With this model, not only they appeared, but also the concept of limited edition, because I did not want to repeat the same design endlessly. The Baguette was the first bag to be treated not as a classic accessory, but as a fashion item.”
Bag as art
Artists of the ranks of Damien Hirst collaborated with the brand to create their own design for the bag. Embroidered with colored beads, precious stones, fur, hand-painted Baguette has become a collector's item - since its inception, more than a thousand different bag decor options have appeared. Already in the year of its inception, in 1997, Rizzoli published the hefty volume "Fendi Baguette", and last year Fendi launched the "My Baguette" application, which allows Android and iPad users to design their own bag and customize its white linen version.
Two more models - Spy, a large soft bag with a semi-circular handle (2005) and B Bag, with a belt buckle-like double closure (2006), had moderate success before Peekaboo appeared in 2009. Peekaboo is a hide and seek game. Silvia Fendi decided to make it easier for women who are always looking for something in their bag and came up with double-sided twist locks. Thanks to them, the bag looks like it is not fastened, and others can see its contrasting lining. Today it is one of the brand's most popular bags, available in five sizes: micro, mini, small, medium and large.
On the recent emergence of the idea fashion accessories, not carrying a functional load, Silvia Fendi reacted with lightning speed. In the autumn-winter 2013 collection, little fur monsters appeared from the decadent mix of fox and mink on a silver ring, and a year later, Fendi encroached on the sacred: Bag Boy Karlito appeared in the autumn-winter 2014 collection. “Carlito is a little monster inspired by me. I am a monster myself. He has a big collar and a black tie, just like mine. People love it. But the idea is not mine, but Sylvia Fendi,” Lagerfeld laments. Mini-Carl made of mink, silver fox and goat fur not only entertains others, but also serves as a kind of reminder of the kitten Carl left behind the scenes in the film by Jacques de Bascher.
Drawing by Karl Lagerfeld for Fendi Fendi Adele s.r.l. - Karl Lagerfeld sketches - Spring/Summer 1996
Drawing by Karl Lagerfeld for Fendi Fendi Adele s.r.l. - Karl Lagerfeld sketches - Fall/Winter 1998
Drawing by Karl Lagerfeld for Fendi Fendi Adele s.r.l. - Karl Lagerfeld sketches - Fall/Winter 1999
Drawing by Karl Lagerfeld for Fendi Karl Lagerfeld sketches - Fall/Winter 2013-14
Drawing by Karl Lagerfeld for Fendi Karl Lagerfeld sketches - Spring/Summer 2014
Drawing by Karl Lagerfeld for Fendi Karl Lagerfeld sketch - Fall/Winter 2012-13
Drawing by Karl Lagerfeld for Fendi Karl Lagerfeld sketch - Fall/Winter 2013-14
And another reminder of the past. In 2003, Fendi launched a custom-made Selleria bag service. It allows customers to create their own versions of bags, choosing the type of leather, its color and accessories to their taste. Eight models are trimmed with branded saddle stitch: Baguette 635, Peekaboo 1584, Adele 1328, Carla 650, Alda 326, Paola 1192, Anna 1322, Franca 2058. The number in the model name means the number of stitches that the master will make while working on the bag. A subtle reminder of the strict rules of craftsmanship and the history of the brand, which has been owned by the LVMH group since 2004.
Fendi today
“For half a century with Fendi, I myself managed to forget how Fendi changed the world of fur,” Lagerfeld recalls. “We came up with crazy things that a bourgeois woman of that time would not wear for anything.” A classic example of the Fendi style - a long table made of diagonally converging strips of fur, cut with particular lightness and elegance. Constant technical improvement allowed Fendi to combine five to eight different types of fur in one thing, sew it in a chaotic manner, reminiscent of a medieval knight’s chain mail, a pilgrim’s tattered rags, a patchwork or a Mondrian painting. In the 1970s, the fashion designer came up with a manteau sewn from strips of leather and fur from the same skin, so that you could see both the face and the inside at the same time, and the mantle itself was reminiscent of an aerial photograph of rice fields that was accidentally seen. In the 1980s, Lagerfeld liked the idea of light, flowing furs that resembled both a dress and a kimono at the same time, rather than serious, elegant and terribly expensive coats. In the 1990s, it was time for grunge and minimalism. In the noughties, he was inspired by shells, the hard shells of sea mollusks to create flowing coats from fur ribbons, and gilded fur. In the winter collection 2003/04, the designer created things from fur wrapped in PVC, a fox coat embroidered with rubber ribbons and a depilated mink coat.
“The more unimaginable the idea, the better. Normality kills creativity! And it doesn’t matter that in the finale something completely different from the source of inspiration may turn out, you will still see something unusual that no one has done before you!” explains Lagerfeld, who suffered from the cold during the Fendi show at the Great Wall of China in Beijing in 2007 and now enjoys the comfort of the brand's new atelier in Rome's Palazzo della Civilita Italiana.
The new headquarters of Fendi is an architectural emblem of Italian fascism. The building was built in 1942 as the main entrance to the never-held World's Fair in Rome and has been empty ever since. The impressive façade, composed of repetitive arches and marble sculptures, is reminiscent of de Chirico's paintings and the majesty of the Rome of the Caesars. The renovation of the Palazzo della Civilita Italiana was a gift from Fendi to the city. As a sign of connection with the Eternal City, the brand has updated its logo. “We added the word “Roma,” says Fendi CEO Pietro Beccari, “and we also made it more feminine, softer. Now it looks 1950s style. These are small changes, but very significant for us. Rome makes millions of people dream, represents a certain way of life: la dolce vita, la grande bellezza. We want to associate the Fendi name with Rome because both Fendi and Rome tell a timeless story of beauty.”
For its 90th anniversary, Fendi has given the world another gift. The fashion house donated $2.9 million to restore the iconic Trevi Fountain. The largest fountain in Rome with a Baroque façade is familiar even to those who have never been to Rome: it is in its waters that Anita Ekberg splashes in Fellini's La Dolce Vita. In announcing the initiative, Silvia Fendi said that "for the Romans, water has always been an inspiration." It seems that Fendi's own source of inspiration is inexhaustible.
