Fendi is an Italian luxury fashion house whose specialties include fur, ready-to-wear, leather goods, shoes, fragrances, eyewear, timepieces and accessories. Founded in 1925 in Rome, Fendi is renowned for its exquisite creations on fur and fur accessories. Fendi is also well known for its leather goods such as “Baguette”, 2jours, Peekaboo or Pequin handbags. From the streets of Rome, to the Great Wall of China, Fendi never ceases to amaze the world. It is a house of style, innovation, elegance and grace.

History

The House of Fendi was established in 1925 by the Italian couple Edoardo and Adele Fendi, and was originally known for being the first handbag and fur workshop in Via del Plebiscito, Rome. The design house was immediately recognized for the quality and craftsmanship of the Fendi Products.

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From the 1930’s to 1940’s, the houses’ popularity grew and reached outside the Roman city. It is said that to Romans, a trip to Fendi was a date with certain distinction. Since 1946 Edoardo and Adele’s five daughters began to work for the family business. Poal Fendi was one of the first sisters to begin with the family business at the young age of 15. The other sisters soon followed.

Having the Fendi women join the company gave a fresh insight into the expectation of women in post-war times. It was the five Fendi sisters’ who took notice of a young, up and coming French designer, Karl Lagerfeld. The discovery of Lagerfeld changed the House of Fendi. Lagerfeld brought a whole new way of designing furs.

In 1960’s Karl Lagerfeld created Fendi’s iconic logo – the “double f”, which becomes a symbol that will forever be the signature of Fendi.  In 1964 Fendi opened a store on via Borgognona, the most elegant street in the city of Rome.

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Since 1965 Fendi begun to look at and use furs that had once been pushed to the side for various reasons, often because they were perceived as ‘poor’. They begun to experiment with dyeing and tanning and other unique ways to improve products.

In 1968 Fendi bags were discovered by Marvin Traub, the President of Bloomingdales and made their first American appearance in New York. This year also marks the expansion of Fendi into the Japanese market.

In 1969 Fendi added an industrial prét-a-porter collection to the handmade production of furs. The Fendi bag was also transformed to adopt a more soft looking style than the original, rigid handbag. In 1977 Fendi lanunched their first ready-to-wear apparel collectin, incorporating the same principles and sense of style that had brought Fendi to the height of success. 1984 Fendi collections were expanded into ties, gloves, scarves, sunglasses, jeans, and home furnishings.

In 1985 the National Gallery of modern Art in Rome held a celebration of Fendi for its 60th anniversary and 20  years of collaboration with Karl Lagerfeld. The exhibit was called ‘FENDI-Karl Lagerfeld, a working history’. 1985 also marks the first Fendi perfume, Fendi for Women.

In 1988 Fendi introduced the Selleria collection, a completely handmade collection originating from Adele Fendi. It assumed going back to the basic and early ways of creating handbags, travel bags and other leather goods. It was released as a limited edition and sold out in no time.

1997 the creative director of Fendi, Silvia Venturini Fendi, oversees the introduction of Fendi Baugette. The baguette, made with different and unusual materials, was an instant success. It become a collectors item and a must have for Fendi lovers.

The supermodel, Naomi Campbell, was fired from her position as spokesperson for the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals after she was seen at a Fendi show wearing fur.

In 2005 Silvia Fendi created a Spy Bog as a follow up to the success of the baguette. In the same year Fendi celebrated the 80th anniversary by opening Palazzo Fendi in Rome with headquarters, studios, fur atelier, and the largest Fendi boutique in the world.In 2006 Fendi launches the famous B bag.

On October 19th, 2007, Fendi became the first fashion house to stage a fashion show on the Great Wall of China. This was one of the longest shows ever with a catwalk of 88 meters and 88 models. Today Fendi has 160 stored in 25 countries worldwide and continues to be one of the most coveted and sought after labels in the world.

Since 1925, the Fendi name has been synonymous with excellent craftsmanship, creativity and timeless style. Made to Order service, available in selected boutiques, is the highest expression of these values. Unique customised objects of desire meld Fendi’s savoir-faire with the creativity of the most exacting clients. An endless range of possibilities to turn dreams into reality.

A vast selection of prized Fendi materials include textured Romano leather and exotic skins such as crocodile and ostrich. Your bag can be personalised down to the smallest detail: choose from a palette of 37 colours, suede or nappa interior, hand embroidery, gold-plated metal plaque and finishings. To make this most indispensable accessory one of a kind.

At the end of the ’40s, the Intrecciato was born out of Adele Fendi’s desire to make bags soft and versatile. The technique, borrowed from the fur world, consists of thin strips of leather woven together and stitched entirely by hand.

Fendi For Fountains

“It’s our duty to pay tribute to the city of Rome, which has given us so much and is part of Fendi’s creative heritage.”  SILVIA VENTURINI FENDI

In 2013, Fendi and the city of Rome wrote a new chapter in their success story, further consolidating a longstanding relationship. Fendi for Fountains is an ambitious project that will revive the original lustre of Rome’s landmark fountains, starting with the storied Trevi and the Quattro Fontane complex. A tribute to beauty and savoir-faire that celebrates Italian art, history and culture.

Another jewel of the Glory of Water project is the restoration of the fashion film Histoire d’Eau, shot by Jacques de Bascher in 1977. The first fashion film ever to be shot, it was commissioned by Fendi to present a ready-to-wear collection.

Fendi and design

Uniting Fendi and the world of design is a natural bond with solid roots and shared values: a passion for creativity and experimentation, the relentless pursuit of materials and excellence in craftsmanship. Projects and collaborations developed over the years by Fendi represent a harmonious “cross-pollination” between design and fashion, highlighting a mutual love for creativity and functionality.

Since 2008, Fendi has played a starring role in Design Miami. This pioneering vision – soon imitated by other luxury brands – resulted in experimentation, events and focused and innovative collaborations. The participation of Maria Pergay, the visionary French designer, in the 2013 edition marked an important step in Fendi’s prestigious evolution in the design world.

Roman lounge – working frames is the new collaboration between Fendi and Italy-based duo Dimore Studio on display at Design Miami 2014. A setting that blends modern and antique in an ideal “Fendi-style” Roman apartment and where the bespoke pieces whisper the Maison’s iconic  codes of creativity, savoir-faire and color.

On display at the 2014 edition of AD Interieurs in Paris was the collaboration between François-Joseph Graf, a renowned French architect and designer, and Fendi. With explicit references to China, a key market for Fendi, this capsule collection inspired by the far east featured a series of exclusive limited edition pieces for this project of great international prestige.

Maria Pergay, the eclectic and visionary French designer of international renown, created a new project for Fendi, unveiled at the 2013 edition of Design Miami. Her enlightening, powerful and rebellious work reveals a constant push for innovation and craftsmanship.

The excellence of Fendi fur meets the visionary talent of Brazilian brothers Fernando and Humberto Campana in a three-piece collection of luxuriously modern furniture – a cabinet, an armchair and a hanging lamp made with kidassia fur – produced in a limited series for Fendi.

In 2011, Fendi celebrated the opening of its Sloane Street boutique in London with a cross-pollination between the worlds of fashion and design: students from the RCA Design Products Department created special window displays interpreting Fendi’s signature craftsmanship techniques and artisanship through the use of discarded materials.

The openings of the Paris Avenue Montaigne and Milan Montenapoleone boutiques in 2013 marked a new chapter for Fendi, exhibiting unique design objects and extraordinary works of contemporary art, serving as the perfect backdrop for Fendi collections. A daring, modern formula connecting art and design.

Fendi Casa

Since 1989, Fendi Casa has been creating prestigious furniture and design objects based on its unmatched style. An Italian lifestyle project in which tradition is constantly reinterpreted in an innovative and contemporary tone.

Fendi Casa, a testimony to the attention that Fendi has always dedicated to the world of design, embodies the exclusive style and expression of Fendi savoir-faire in the world of furniture and living, raising the bar in the quest for precious materials and the distinctiveness of its artisanal craftsmanship.

Fendi Casa has been a part of exclusive interior design projects in some of the most prestigious and exclusive locations around the world. Apartments, villas, yachts and private jets: each project curated by Fendi Casa is a unique and exclusive celebration. With careful attention to the environment, as well as to the client’s taste, Fendi Casa adds a taste of luxury to the art of living with careful attention to details and materials, creating a unique environment, steeped in style and craftsmanship.

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