Maria Grazia Chiuri has unveiled her first couture collection for Fendi, signalling the beginning of a new creative era for the Roman house while reaffirming couture’s enduring role as a place where craftsmanship, experimentation and artistry converge.
Presented during Haute Couture Week in Paris, the Fall/Winter 2026-2027 collection explored themes of desire, sensuality and freedom through a contemporary couture lens. Rather than relying on rigid structure or theatrical excess, Chiuri embraced fluidity, allowing movement, texture and exceptional savoir-faire to shape a wardrobe that felt both modern and unmistakably couture.
The collection reflected Fendi’s long-standing commitment to artisanal excellence, where traditional techniques were reimagined through innovative construction and intricate handwork. Delicate embroidery, sculptural silhouettes and refined tailoring demonstrated the dialogue between creative vision and the expertise of the atelier, reinforcing couture as a discipline that continues to evolve while remaining rooted in craftsmanship.
Beyond the runway, Fendi has invited audiences to explore its couture heritage through A Fairy Tale of the Future, an exhibition celebrating ten years of Fendi Couture. Still open to visitors, the exhibition offers a rare opportunity to examine the evolution of the house’s haute couture language through creations by Karl Lagerfeld, Silvia Venturini Fendi and Kim Jones.
Rather than following a chronological timeline, the exhibition places garments from different creative directors in conversation with one another, revealing the continuity of ideas that have shaped the maison over the past decade. It highlights couture not simply as fashion, but as a living dialogue between artistic vision and technical mastery.
At its centre is the atelier itself, presented as the beating heart of Fendi Couture. Here, experimentation meets precision as designers, pattern cutters, embroiderers and artisans work collectively to transform imagination into reality. The exhibition particularly celebrates the house’s pioneering research into materiality, demonstrating how techniques including embroidery, inlay, colour, intricate pattern cutting and surface manipulation have continually redefined the possibilities of couture.
Together, Chiuri’s debut collection and A Fairy Tale of the Future create a compelling portrait of a maison honouring its extraordinary legacy while confidently looking ahead. The runway introduced a fresh creative perspective, while the exhibition reminds visitors that every new chapter is built upon decades of innovation, craftsmanship and the enduring artistry that defines Fendi Couture.
