“Fendi is my Italian version of creativity. It’s Italian to its core. It’s not only Italian, it’s Roman,” says Karl Lagerfeld of his position as Creative Director.
This book set celebrates his astounding 50 year tenure with the label – the longest collaboration ever between a designer and a luxury fashion house.
Beautifully presented in a custom-made wooden case modeled on the box of oil pastels on Lagerfeld’s work desk, it’s a compilation of exclusive interviews, recorded conversations, personal sketches and DVDs of his short films, through which we discover some of his earliest and fondest memories of the past five decades.
Get your issue of Karl Lagerfeld: Fendi 50 Years by Steidl online HERE.
Karl Lagerfeld and Silvia Venturini (the granddaughter of Adele and Edorado Fendi) at the Fendi F/W 2011 runway show
THE STORY
Fendi was founded by Adele and Edoardo Fendi as a fur and leather shop in Via del Plebiscito, Rome in 1925. In 1965, their five daughters hired the young Karl Lagerfeld, who was around 30 years old at that time to come on board and help them to revitalize their fur business. Previously Lagerfeld had worked for Parisian houses Balmain and Jean Patou. Upon his arrival at Fendi, the German-born designer changed the way the house used fur and took the luxurious fabric rather as an embellishment for coats, stoles, and trimmings. He introduced bright colors of fur and mixed it with different fabrics to create interesting textures and silhouettes. He is responsible for the term «fun fur» along with the double F logo that is now recognizable worldwide.
In 1977, Lagerfeld introduced Fendi’s women’s ready-to-wear collection providing a wardrobe that the already popular furs and accessories could accentuate. The eighties became a time of expansion where many categories were licensed out to other manufactures to facilitate growth and global recognition. Also, during this time the next generation of Fendi children started to get involved in the company. Since 2001, the Italian House became a multinational luxury fashion brand and member of LVMH group.
Here are some of this season’s must-haves you should definitely get:
A must: Karlito mink and fox-fur bag charm by Fendi
Already a classic: Petite 2Jours leather tote by Fendi
The most famous baguette in the world: Micro Baguette hand-embroidered cross-body bag by Fendi
The most charming monsters: Bag Bugs fur-appliqué roll-neck sweater by Fendi
The backpack everybody wants: Bag Bugs nylon and fur mini backpack by Fendi
It all started with fur: Flowerland appliqué fur coat by Fendi
LoL, Sandra
Photos: Courtesy of Fendi
