For Fendi’s Spring/Summer 2022 collection Artistic Director Kim Jones took the brand back to its roots taking inspiration from the eternal city of Rome.
Combining fantasy and reality this beautiful collection celebrates the historic codes of the city and the beauty of old-age Italian craftsmanship techniques.
Kim Jones
When you walk down the street in Rome, you are constantly moving back and forth in time,” explains Kim Jones. “Where we work feels very modern, but you pass monuments on the way there. There’s a total timelessness to the city: a historic vein which runs through it, but also a movement that is projecting forwards.”
Combining old and new Jones applies lavish craftsmanship to futuristic silhouettes, while ceremonial asceticism overlaid with astral fantasy.
Fluid fabrics are draped over shimmering bodies, while hand-embroidered tights appear as a second skin. Luminous, glistening fabrics offer an otherworldly feel and create magical energy.
“Rome has a certain spirituality as a city,” notes Jones. “Not necessarily just something religious, but something present in the layers of its history.”
The designer draws upon time-honoured techniques that perfectly complement modern craftsmanship to create a collection that connects history and the future.
The ghostly shadows of opulent fabrics, photographed and distorted, are printed atop Duchesse silk and organza and illuminated with traditional beading and mother of pearl, while the classical statues located outside of FENDI’s Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana are hand-painted in dramatic chiaroscuro onto sheared mink and velvet.
Heat-moulded leathers, embroidered with micro sequins, mink and pearls, echo Corinthian reliefs; exposed underpinnings reveal the very essence of couture: its construction.
The archaeological remnants of ancient civilizations are unearthed: volcanic stone and hematite inset into bags; natural crystal geodes and amethyst shooting from jewellery.
The visual language of power is embedded throughout, from warrior-like armour, now crafted in Persian lamb and leather, to the imperial majesty of floor-sweeping trains. After all, says Jones, “that’s what my vision for FENDI is all about: celebrating the power of women.”
See more of the collection below:
