Fendi took travel to new heights at a show that was heavy on utilitarian pieces for the modern flier — but the sort who turns left after stepping onto the plane (if he doesn’t have his own plane, that is). The lighthearted show, where models kept pace with an airport-style conveyor belt lined with new and vintage Fendi bags, was laced with humorous touches and a mix of sport, street and heritage nods.
A collaboration with the artist Reilly Hey, a Royal College of Art graduate, also yielded some surreal imagery: A snail stuck to a soccer ball resting on a frying pan; an upside-down elephant hovering over a strawberry and a banana on a sofa floating in space were printed on T-shirts or chopped into a collage of digital images that covered rain boots, kooky umbrella hats and coats. The collage pattern was even cut into a colorful shearling fur.
Before the show, Hey said the images had no profound meaning — he just wanted them to be conversation-starters. “He shares our sense of irony,” said Silvia Fendi, who discovered Hey on Instagram and also asked him to work with a series of words such as “family,” “faithful,” “fancy,” “friends” and “fabulous” ahead of the show. “They are key and represent our values,” Fendi said of the words, which were splashed onto T-shirts and sweaters.
The brand was certainly faithful its the past — and fabulous, too — sending out long fur coats with thick stripes recalling its black-and-brown Pequin pattern and splashing a new, boxier double-F logo onto a snazzy suitcase, the fur collars of black leather coats and a big-brimmed hat with attitude.
Shearling and mink — two mainstays of the collection — came in the form of zip-front sweatshirts — one with a thick, FF-logo stripe down the front and a hoodie top with a blast of pink, yellow and red stripes like lightning bolts.
Accessories were faithful to Fendi’s luxury heritage. A black alligator one with a ticket price of $50,000 and another white parchment one at $12,000 were also on offer — perfect for any Gulfstream.