fashion inside story
FENDI: MADE FOR WOMEN BY WOMEN… AND KARL BY LARISSA LOVE
FENDI WOMEN AND KARL Quality, creativity, and longevity come to mind with the name Fendi. The 93-year-old family business has produced collections that New York Times fashion writer Guy Trebay has called “genuinely beautiful and ornately costly designs,” and the company is run by three generations of women—mother, daughters, and granddaughter.
By presenting its own concepts with dedicated attention to detail and timeless ness, Fendi has always stood apart from other fashion houses. From the start in 1925, when they opened their first furrier and leather goods workshop in Rome, founders Adele Cassagrande and her husband Eduardo Fendi set exacting standards. In 1928 for their Sellaria collection, the House of Fendi introduced special parchment leather with a traditional processing technique used by Roman master saddlers. Parchment leather become a defining char acteristic of Fendi for decades.
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Karl Lagerfeld became the creative partner in 1965, and after originating the iconic double F logo as well as designing Fendi’s first fur collection, the luxury brand exploded. As Lagerfeld continued to oversee the collections, in 1994 Adele’s granddaughter, Sylvia Venturini Fendi, was appointed as creative accessories director, continuing Fendi’s long-standing reputation of lofty standards. Fendi’s customer base flourished throughout the 1990s largely because of its chic accessories. In 1990 Sylvia introduced her first of many handbag designs, the Baguette. This amazing little bag was small enough to carry under an arm, but large enough to hold everything a woman needs. Whether it was bought to accessorize or simply as a fashion collectible, each handmade Fendi Baguette was a piece of art, with intricate beadwork and rich silk looming. Every bag that Sylvia introduces stays relevant through the years, which makes them lasting investments.
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TH A NK S TO TH E I NTER NET A ND SOCI A L M EDI A, TODAY’S FASHIONISTAS A ND CASUA L SHOPPERS A LIK E A R E INUNDATED W ITH A N AVA L A NCHE OF INFOR M ATION A ND OPINIONS ON BOTH CL ASSIC A ND CUR R ENT FASHION TR ENDS. FOR EV ERY CONSUM ER IT’S A CONSTA NT DEBATE: THE TR ENDY DISPOS A BLE ITEM OR THE QUA LIT Y A ND L ASTING CR A FTSM A NSHIP OF A LU XURY BR A ND? IT’S MINDLESS TO BU Y PIECES OF THE MOM ENT, BUT IT’S I MPORTA NT TO K NOW TH E VA LUE A ND PROV ENA NCE OF PR ICEY ITEMS BEFOR E M A K ING A PURCH ASE. 40
