By Valentine Fabre
Credit: Filippo Fior/Vogue Runway
For their SS24 collection, the century-old Italian house decided to give homage to the little hands that bring the designs to life. Thanks to Fendi, utilitarian chic will be the look of the summer.
For the first time, Fendi opened the doors to its new factory in sunny Tuscany. The futuristic-looking building, surrounded, as well as covered, with greenery, was chosen for the set for a very specific reason: this collection would be about the workers behind the house. Once in, guests would have the unique experience of witnessing craftsmen assembling bags in the midst of very high-tech decor. Silvia Venturini Fendi explained this choice by describing the location as “the pulsing heart of Fendi, a place symbolic of creation, where development, innovation, craftsmanship training and production are reunited under the same roof.”
As models successively walked through the factory, workwear like leather aprons, utility belts, painter's shirts and measuring tapes were perfectly mixed with classical elements of office wear: loose ties, tailored jackets, and neatly buttoned-up shirts. In other words, workers were the stars of this show.
In a desire to explore the relationship between machine and man, which Fendi believes to be essential to any craftsmanship, “machines have been helping man (to complete) so many pieces of work that were hard and debilitating and have been elevating the standards of work from the human being, but (I like) the artistic possibilities that (that) a human gives you.”, the Italian house developed a technically astonishing, and sexy collection that, while highly practical, remains very casually wearable.
The footwear trend of the year (Croc's) made its way back onto the catwalk: with a refined design of the clogs, Croc’s can now count Fendi as an unexpected, yet suitable collaborator. Venturini Fendi and Kim Jones have clarified that this summer is for physical work and craftsmanship only. Get the gear ready and hammer away.
Credit: Filippo Fior/Vogue Runway
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