FENDI celebrated its centenary year yesterday with the unveiling of its Women’s and Men’s Fall/Winter 2025-26 collections at Milan Fashion Week.
The collections were designed by creative director Silvia Venturini Fendi, granddaughter of Edoardo Fendi and Adele Casagrande Fendi, who founded the house.
The show, held at the new Spazio FENDI in Milan, was a nod to the brand’s early days, recalling the original boutique and atelier on Via Borgognona in Rome. The setting evoked the glamour of the Fendi family’s legacy, where their boutique catered to high society by day and entertained the elite of Cinecittà by night.
The centenary fashion show was also opened by Dardo and Tazio, the seven-year-old twin sons of Delfina Delettrez Fendi and Nico Vascellari. Wearing replicas of an equestrian ensemble designed by Karl Lagerfeld in 1967 and once worn by Silvia Venturini Fendi as a child, they symbolically opened the wooden doors, unveiling the runway.
Venturini Fendi’s vision for the centenary collection was not simply archival but deeply personal. “FENDI reminds me of the future,” she said, choosing to reflect on personal memories rather than merely revisit past designs. This approach resulted in a collection that embodied ‘FENDI-ness’ a blend of irony, elegance, sensuality, and Roman sophistication.
From the outset, the collection played with textures and silhouettes. A flared coat, worn as a dress, featured a high collar and gold belt, while shearlings, crafted with intarsia and patchwork techniques, mimicked fox, mink, and sable. The hourglass silhouette manifested in satin skirts, flounced jackets, and sculptural sleeves. A spectrum of colours captured Rome’s atmospheric palette, from deep greens and earthy browns to sunset-inspired cinnamon, terracotta, and scarlet.
FENDI’s tailoring expertise took centre stage with precision-cut blazers, deconstructed wool coats, and oversized trench coats in lambskin and plissé taffeta.
Shearling stoles became versatile accents, worn over jewel-tone cardigans and lingerie dresses. Meanwhile, Selleria coats in reversible deerskin and suede highlighted the brand’s leather craftsmanship. Eveningwear embraced a play of matte and shine, featuring satin skirts, draped duchesse, and embroidered Chantilly lace, reinforcing FENDI’s signature opulence.
The Fall/Winter 2025-26 accessories collection revisited FENDI’s iconic handbags with a retro-futurist twist. The new FENDI Giano, a moon-shaped ‘click-clack’ purse, transformed from a clutch to a shoulder bag, while the 2005 Spy Bag returned with a deconstructed silhouette and twisted handle. The Peekaboo and Baguette remained central, reimagined with shearling intarsia and mirrored embroideries. For men, the FENDI Lui duffel and Cuoio Romano hobo bag introduced new shapes with signature FF hardware.
Footwear featured trompe l’oeil boots, peep-toe slippers with metal finishes, and desert boots crafted from wild shearling and soft lambskin. The jewellery collection, designed by Delfina Delettrez Fendi, embraced fluidity and movement, with snake chain collars, chandelier earrings, and sterling silver obelisk pendants adding a shimmering touch.
The show’s soundtrack, curated by Michel Gaubert, featured a nostalgic yet timeless selection, including Barry White’s ‘Never, Never Gonna Give Ya Up’ and songs from Italian music icons such as Ornella Vanoni, Mina, Patty Pravo, and Franco Battiato.
