The history of Fendi
Known for its It-bags and its famous double F monogram, the Italian brand has carved out a place for itself among the greatest haute couture houses. From a modest Italian family to LVMH via Karl Lagerfeld, let's retrace the incredible history of Fendi.
The creation of Fendi
The story of Fendi began in 1925 in the Italian capital when Adele Casagrande, working in leather at the time, met Edoardo Fendi. Together, they decided to specialize in leather goods and fur by opening a workshop-boutique on Via del Plebiscito in Rome. Thanks to the quality of its creations, the brand gained popularity until it became known abroad in the early 1940s. A few years later, the couple's 5 daughters joined the family business and brought new creativity which gives real success to the brand. In 1965, the 5 girls decided to collaborate with a young German stylist to design the collections. Karl Lagerfeld then joined Fendi as artistic director. The German designer reworks fur, reinterprets leather in his own way and in 1966 created the famous Double F logo, an acronym for “Fun Furs”.
The Karl Lagerfeld era
The Double F logo imagined, it will be presented the same year in the first fur collection. Fendi builds on this first success to develop women's ready-to-wear with a first collection in 1977. The men's range will be launched a few years later. Fendi is now becoming a complete brand capable of offering complete collections and attracting a much wider clientele. Silvia Venturini Fendi, belonging to the third generation Fendi, joined the house in the early 1980s. In 1987, she launched "Fendissime", a more accessible sportswear range which particularly targets young people. 5 years later, she was appointed artistic director alongside Karl Lagerfeld, then in 1994 she was responsible for accessories and men's ready-to-wear. This duo is a success for the brand and will continue to bring the collections to life until 2019 following the death of Karl Lagerfeld. This tragic event will put an end to the longest collaboration between an artist and a house (54 years). The following year Fendi will appoint Kim Jones as artistic director. After Louis Vuitton and Dior, Kim Jones will join the house at the head of the women's collections while Silvia Fendi will continue to direct the men's collections.
The arrival of LVMH
Since its creation, the house belonged to the Fendi family and was passed down from generation to generation until 2000 when the LVMH group bought shares in Fendi. The following year, LVMH bought all the shares to become the owner of Fendi. The luxury giant will develop Fendi internationally by opening boutiques around the world. In 2005, for the brand's 80th anniversary, the Fendi Palace will be inaugurated in Rome. In the following years, a store opened on 5th Avenue in New York and another on Avenue Montaigne in Paris. Today, Fendi has 210 stores across 33 countries.
It-Bags
The Fendi Baguette
Created in 1997 by Silvia Venturini Fendi, this model seduces women with its "baguette" shape to be worn under the arm. The Baguette stands out with its Double F logo, its short handle and its rectangular shape which was new at that time.
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