The Front Row

I took a closer look into the fashion history of Fendi.

 

After being established in 1925 by Edoardo Fendi and Adele Casagrande by opening a small shop that carries leather goods and luggage with a small fur workshop in the back (Fendi 2015), to the year 1965:

 

Where the five Fendi sisters feel the urge to renovate the company and decide to bring in an up-and-coming designer. Thanks to the farsighted acumen of their longtime friend, Count Franco Savorelli di Lauriano, Karl Lagerfeld makes his foray in Fendi. It’s love at first sight. Lagerfeld sets to work on the fur which he cuts, strips, dyes, pleats. His aim is to make lightweight fur coats to be worn day in day out (Fendi 2015).

 

There are two such occasions among many within the Fendi history that have caught my eye, the first was in the year 1977:

 

Where Fendi finds an alternative way to present its first ready-to-wear collection – “Histoire d'Eau” considered the first fashion film, which Fendi has recently restored. The 18-minute short by Jacques de Bascher tells of a young woman vacationing in Rome while her parents believe she’s in a spa in Baden Baden. Dressed in Fendi, she bathes in the city (Fendi 2015).

 

To view the video: http://www.fendi.com/ii/en/the-magic-of-fendi/our-story/years/1977/video

 

The second commenced in the year 2007:

 

Fendi takes luxury to new heights with a breathtaking runway show staged atop the Great Wall of China, capped off with giant double F logos projected onto the surrounding mountains. It is the first time ever that a fashion house shows on the Great Wall. The event, which was in the works for a year, revolved around the number 8, considered good luck in China, with 88 models strutting down an 88-meter long catwalk. The extravaganza is dubbed the first show visible from the moon (Fendi 2015).

 

To View the video: http://www.fendi.com/ii/en/the-magic-of-fendi/our-story/years/2007/video

 

It is no incredulity then that the 2015 collection is collaborated between Silvia Venturini Fendi and Mr. Karl Langerfeld himself. Silvia is a third generation member of the Fendi dynasty. She, along with her mother and four sisters, inherited the family business from her grandparents Edoardo and Adele. She is now the creative director of accessories and men's wear at the label (Models.com 2015).

 

 

The 2015 Spring collection consisted of fifty looks, with the title “On the road”

 

Fendi's new Roman headquarters is the Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana, built under Mussolini. Its "Square Colosseum" configuration was the inspiration (Style.com 2014).

 

The title “On the Road” could have been referring to the high velocity that is sweeping Fendi into the future or the "high frequency," a new technique that managed to inset strips of fabric without stitching to create the kind of seamless, streamlined effect you might get when you look out the window of a fast-moving vehicle (Style.com 2014).