Discover the Craftsmanship of Fendi’s Iconic Peekaboo Bag With Its creator Silvia Venturini Fendi

Lindsay Judge   |   07-05-2020

Fendi’s Peekaboo Bag has been reinvented season after season since its first inception as part of the spring/summer 2009 collection.

 

Brought to life by Silvia Venturini Fendi, this bag was envisioned as a timeless creation that would live on through generations. And so it has. Twelve years later and the Peekaboo has seen many incarnations, it appeals to women from all generations. From older ladies who may be looking for a classic, timeless accessory, to younger women who see it as a symbol of today’s modern culture.

 

“I really think it’s one of those objects you want to belong to your family..” Silvia Venturini Fendi tells a&e. “You buy a Peekaboo not only thinking that you will wear it now, but also that you are going to wear it in the future and one of your daughters will probably steal it from your closet. It’s one of those objects that will stay with you for all time.”

 

 

The Peekaboo’s name comes from its unusual construction. It is a bag of two halves, divided by a rigid middle with a twist lock on both sides. The element of surprise comes from its front flap, which can be pushed down into a U-shape to reveal the central partition. This unique piece of Italian mastery is crafted by Fendi’s master artisans at the Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana; Fendi’s headquarters in Rome.

 

Through the Peekaboo bag, this Fendi tells a story that fuses traditional manual ability with modern 3D technology. It takes us on a journey through the Fendi DNA through one-of-a-kind workshops that use three special techniques to make the current Peekaboo collection. These expert techniques are; the “Laser-Cut”, the “Interlace” and the “Intarsio” known as an inlay.

 

 

This season Fendi presents the Peekaboo X-Lite for Men’s with the ‘Laser-Cut’ workmanship, the Peekaboo for Men’s where Selleria stitching is combined with the ‘Intarsio’ fur workmanship and the Women’s Peekaboo, in its Large and Mini versions, with the leather ‘Interlace’’ workmanship. Each of these special pieces is made by expert craftsman at FENDI’s headquarters in Rome.

 

 

The Laser-Cut Peekaboo X-Lite bag for Men initially features the creation of a leather panel that is firstly resin-treated on the back. The leather is then laser-cut following the design, in this case, the Fendi script. Before the cut, artisans adjust and adapt the design to the chosen bag style. Finally, a fabric lining with the striped Pequin pattern is placed on the inside, serving as a background for the pattern on the front of the bag. The inside also features a pocket in suede with an embossed FF logo all-over pattern.

 

The Intarsio Peekaboo Regular bag for Men is made in Fendi’s iconic Selleria Cuoio Romano leather, with handmade seams on the outside, whilst the inside is in leather with a hot-stamped embossed all-over FF logo pattern. The workmanship on the front, in mink and leather, requires several phases. The first part consists of the preparation of an underlying “net”. The leather is hand-carved and paired with another leather layer to give thickness. A fur panel is then placed on top – different mink layers are assembled together to create the necessary size, then the mink panel is cut and sewn back together following the desired pattern. Finally, the two panels, the leather one below and the mink one on the outside are sewn and assembled by hand.

 

 

The Interlace Peekaboo Large and Mini feature one of the most traditional workmanships at Fendi. The leather is cut and rolled into stripes that are hand-knotted to create a crochet-effect pattern with squared knots, giving life to the shell of the bag. The hand-knotted shell is then folded on the opposite side showing the uniqueness of the backside of the workmanship and squared knots. The interlaced shell is then finalized with a maxi metal needle. Finally, the handle, the accessories and the inside pocket are sewn to the hand-knotted shell

 

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