FENDI

Functional Utility Alongside Femininity

Kim Jones’ FENDI Womenswear Spring Summer 2023 is a mélange of minimalist ease and pop-infused eclecticism, showcasing a consolidation of sporty and delicate, yet effortlessly refined couture. The thought of exploring functional utility alongside femininity intrigued him greatly, believing Fendi ladies are strong women with full busy lives. His consistent belief in that practicality as well as luxury, where heavy hardware unifies with softness, brings about functionality that radiates irresistible charm. Similar principles of working with both the rigid and soft, where logos almost become invincible through functional architecture submergence that suspends each precious jewel, are also shared and practiced by internationally renowned Italian designer and jeweler, Delfina Delettrez Fendi.

Inspired by Karl Lagerfeld’s past visual and technical work at the brand, FENDI’s future is transposed by the refreshment of its historical past, leading to an aesthetically contemporary collection of clothing that loosely reflects the turn of the millennium in 2000. This is signified by a floral print from FENDI’s archives and a logo originating from that very year. As such, this refined range of womenswear merges modern heterogeneity with simple comfort, coolly and effortlessly established by heavenly dimensions of floating technical organza layers, glazed nylon jerseys, slouching cuts and extended racerback silhouettes. An obi belt from Fendi’s Autumn Winter 2022 Couture line is melded deeper into the clothing design to heighten the structural shape that alluringly exudes femininity. Meanwhile, a resonating palette of compatible neutrals is strikingly broken by daring hue explosions of vibrant pink, cornflower blue, and overflowingly vivid green.

Cashmere and fur - shearling and leather organic grain compositions - are transpired into reality by Fendi’s unrivaled mastery in cultured social poise that has never been lighter. These aberrance-free textures of essence are disclosed in technical fabric stratums. Lustrous satin is now integrated with mesh and held up by heightened tennis shoes or rubber platforms, with the inverted “F” of Fendi First illusionary embellished in the footwear as a homage to the Maison’s legacy of intuitive alignment of pattern and utility. The accessories line show application of this conflicting philosophical sentiment, where a bisected Peekaboo is transformed into one of the season’s feature accessories. Iconic bags of Fendi are manifested in a similar vein of thought, where a steel F drops through the body of a bag to transform into its gorgeous handle, as a depiction duality. Glowing high-shine leathers are fused together with clean canvases, while daring hues are printed throughout a natural palette where they are at times chained together, or simplistically clutched as a pair in one hand at other times.