“Rome is a place that takes in the city and the seaside. It is a dialogue that has an ancient history as well as a modern one, from Petronious to Pasolini,” says Kim Jones, Artistic Director of Couture and Womenswear of FENDI. “It’s a story that continues today, about pleasure, leisure, work and drama – in other words, life. I wanted the collection to reflect this and expand on the idea of Roman freedom; that elegance in ease and not caring what anybody else thinks, about women who dress for themselves and their own lives. It is about the confidence and chicness that comes with that, of not being something but being someone.”
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The pull of the Eternal City and its coast, of urban life and the sun-drenched retreat, feature as both part of the myth and reality of Roman life. The Summer 2024 offering echoes the Women’s Spring/Summer 2024 show collection by Kim Jones, reinterpreting its delightful palette of pale blues, vivid red, bright yellow and contrasting neutrals with a vibrant, summery feeling and expanding on the elegant practicality of its pieces. Sophisticated pastel hues of beiges and browns, pale and navy blues, are infused with fresh shades of salmon and golden yellow, applied throughout the collection on a casual, relaxed and sporty silhouette shaped with silk transparencies, svelte tailoring or sequined knits. With its Dolce Vita allure, the collection emphasises once more an idea of Roman freedom against the joyful backdrops of both city and seaside.
A sense of duality – a very FENDI quality – once more permeates the collection, from the city street to the beach, from the pragmatic to the playful, the muted to the vibrant. It all sums up in a revived and summery version of the signature Pequin, the black and tobacco vertical ‘logo no logo’ pattern – originally designed by Karl Lagerfeld in 1983. Pure expression of whispered luxury now reinterpreted in bicolour variations of bright hues and pale neutrals – yellow, light blue, beige and dark blue. From outerwear to beachwear, the Pequin is applied on Women’s ready-to-wear with a contemporary twist, as seen on a leather go-to-jacket, silk twill separates and airy tulle dresses and pants, as well as sparkling sequined ribs. The same mood is reflected in the Men’s line-up, where the Pequin is spread onto estival materials, from sponge to cotton and crochet.
The pop and the pragmatic find further form in the collection’s widespread use of denim, dyed with a darker Pequin motif, twisted with FF chambray in a soft 2D tonal effect, or bleached in the menswear. Expanding on the styles found in the Women’s Spring/Summer 2024 show collection, an oversized car coat now features FF chambray while a classic denim jacket appears in Pequin denim, joined by other key functions such as jeans, shirt dresses and minis. Denim is also reinterpreted for the Men’s with the use of a renewed FF printed fringed pattern, on linen or cotton, coming from the Men’s Spring/Summer 2024 show collection.
Both Pequin and denim are featured alongside seasonal prints: FENDI Labyrinth, which emphasizes the bi-colour, graphic liveliness of the entire Women’s ready-to-wear offer, and Summer in Roma for the Men’s, a picturesque graphic inspired from the warm colour palette of the Roman sunset. Shifting the context, sportif stretch cycling, swimwear and activewear styles complete the range with the animations of the collection, crossing between the casual and formal, joyfully expressing Roman insouciance.
The accessories by Silvia Venturini Fendi, Artistic Director of Accessories and Menswear, reflect an appeal to different wearers as well as encompass the overall narrative of the collection. Here there is a reiteration that there is not just one FENDI woman, but many FENDI women with an encouragement for all to be themselves and embrace the idea of Roman freedom. Utilising Pequin jacquard, FF denim, raffia, woven leathers, embroideries, as well as exotics, summer moods of the casual and handcrafted are combined, yet are nevertheless expressed with the ultimate in savoir-faire on both bags and shoes.
“We are different and unique yet all recognisable as FENDI and Fendi women. ‘Fendininity’!” states Silvia Venturini Fendi.
Worked with light seasonal textures and signature craftsmanship, Pequin dresses the iconic Baguette and Peekaboo bags, as well as the new archival-inspired Roll bag, a reversible shopper originally designed to be worn with the Baguette, now available in three versatile sizes. Matching ready-to-wear, the bicolour variants are applied on jacquard with a Pequin and FF inside-outside, while a Pequin iteration of the hand-made interlace workmanship draws bicolour tonal stripes on Peekaboo ISeeU Mini, Petite and Origami, outlined in braided bright yellow or pale blue. For Men’s, Pequin makes its comeback with a new light and dark blue colourway on jacquard Peekaboo ISeeU Medium, Mini and Go To Shopper, all featuring a contrasting FF lining.
Perfectly depicting FENDI’s mastery in materials, straw animates and elevates the bags line-up, finding form, with its natural hue, in an array of bags, textures and techniques. Straw Pequin in natural and brown gives a new vibe to Baguette Chain, Peekaboo and Sunshine Shopper, the latters complemented by iconic Selleria macro stitches. A knitted macrame effect is featured on unlined Baguette and Peekaboo, as well as on Fendigraphy and Origami – also in their Mini sizes – all contrasted by brown leather detailing which also complement Sunshine Shopper, Mini By The Way and Mini Mon Trésor in plain straw with the FENDI lettering. Special handmade workmanships further put the spotlight on Maison’s icons: a woven raffia and gold sequins Baguette requiring 6 hours of handwork and a 3D crocheted Peekaboo ISeeU Petite with 11 hours of handweaving. The iconic FF logo is also reinterpreted with the use of natural raffia on an ethical Roll bag crafted in Madagascar by Made For A Woman – a socially responsible women-led and women-centred association dedicated to empowering Malagasy artisans – and assembled by the FENDI leather goods artisans with the addition of Selleria stitched handles.
Following the ready-to-wear, denim also lends itself as an inspiration for colouring and casual approaches to different materials in the bags. The cool blues of FF denim jacquard, contrasted with beige leather detailing, spans the breadth of signature bags including Baguette, Fendigraphy, C’Mon and Sunshine Shopper, along with Mini Icons like Origami, Mini Mon Trésor and Mini By The Way. The interlace workmanship is featured as an unexpected denim iteration on Peekaboo. Handmade, printed sequin embroideries imitate the look of washed denim on Baguette bags, while exclusive, hand-finished alligator pieces take on the startling look and colouration of denim in one-of-a-kind Baguette and Peekaboo exotic bags. For Men’s, blue denim finds expression on a seasonal recoloration of the iconic FF jacquard, peppering the FENDI Diagonal iteration as well. The new FENDI Cono single-strap backpack completes the leather goods offer with a functional and laid-back look.
Footwear grounds the collection both elegantly and practically. Nevertheless, contexts are once again shifted and crossed, at times situating the formal in a casual setting, and the beach in the city street. At the same time, function and comfort are never forgotten. The pillars of the shoes collection feature softly constructed loafers, in Pequin and FF canvas or plain nappa leather with decorative Baguette buckles and practical studded rubber soles, while heels go from kitten to high with a FENDI Filo nappa leather mules and slides, effortless in intent and practice.
In the fashion jewellery creations of Delfina Delettrez Fendi, Artistic Director of Jewellery, there is a similar utilisation of the practical and natural, particularly in the mastery of materials expressed through the relaunch of the Fendigraphy line which features bold shapes – statement bangles, rings and loop earrings – startlingly realised in bi-colour wood paying homage to the Pequin.
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