Milan Fashion Week witnessed a historic moment as Fendi marked its centennial anniversary with an awe-inspiring Autumn/Winter 2025 collection. Under the visionary direction of Silvia Venturini Fendi, the house delved into its past, not to replicate but to reimagine—a journey through memory, heritage, and modernity, where nostalgia met innovation with effortless sophistication.
Rather than a direct archival revival, Venturini Fendi took a deeply personal approach, channeling recollections both real and imagined. The runway space evoked the grandeur of Fendi’s legendary Via Borgognona boutique, a place where the Fendi sisters curated their world of luxury by day and entertained the cinematic elite of Cinecittà by night. It was here that the codes of Fendi—opulence, humour, and impeccable craftsmanship—were cemented, and they resonated throughout the collection.
The show presented 86 meticulously crafted looks, intertwining menswear and womenswear in a seamless dialogue of tradition and reinvention. The return of the Fendi Spy Bag—deconstructed with twisted handles in gelato hues—paid homage to the house’s early 2000s era, while the Peekaboo and Baguette reaffirmed their status as icons. Clothes, meanwhile, became characters in a sartorial theatre: precise tailoring softened by sculptural sleeves, pencil skirts with undulating godets, and peplum jackets imbued with Roman restraint. The fusion of sensuality and structure, of heritage and subversion, underscored Venturini Fendi’s deft hand in storytelling through design.
Menswear embraced a similar philosophy, with double-breasted overcoats cut with fluidity and playfulness, juxtaposed against precision-tailored separates. A sense of irreverence—an intrinsic part of the house’s DNA—manifested in upcycled stuffed accessories, with charming characters crafted from excess fabric appearing on lapels and bags alike. The humour was never frivolous; it was deeply embedded in the artistry.
The front row was a testament to Fendi’s enduring influence, drawing a constellation of luminaries, from longtime muse Sarah Jessica Parker to industry stalwarts and film icons. On the runway, models such as Mona Tougaard and Alex Consani embodied the modern Fendi spirit—strong, self-assured, and effortlessly elegant.
Fendi’s 100-year milestone was not just a retrospective but a celebration of evolution. Venturini Fendi’s AW25 collection masterfully wove past and present, proving that true luxury is not just in what is remembered, but in what is yet to come.
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Words by Jheanelle Feanny
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