Renouncing convention and embracing pragmatism, Fendi showcases an amalgamation impeccably crafted by the skilled hands of its atelier artisans: from embroiderers to tailors, pattern cutters to leatherworkers. The approach of the Italian House towards those who wear – and observe – Couture is to reaffirm a sense of humanity and empathy; they are always someone, rather than something. From simple geometries to the denser structures of crocodile skin, a human futurism permeates the collection, blending symbols of the past to forge the present and the future. Structure becomes decoration and vice versa: the runway begins with a new silhouette named Scatola and consistently concludes with the same. The precise cut of the geometric model in flou creates new volumes with lightness and structure, thanks to fabrics like silk gazar. Following is the tailored suit, intentionally tailored to the female physique through a rigorous yet ergonomically embracing cut, utilizing traditionally masculine fabrics such as superkid mohair, a thin and lightweight yarn. Faces are protected by oversized coats, voluminous and rich in movement, not made of real fur but adorned with finely embroidered and overlapping fringes. The embroideries, composed of tiny filaments and sewn in undulating formations, produce an effect akin to a mountain of soft and lightweight feathers. Crafted with the finest cashmere and vicuña yarns, the fine ribbed garments are elegantly wrapped with Shibari-knotted belts.
In Fendi’s SS24 Haute Couture collection, every approach optimizes lightness.
But perhaps it is in the meticulously embroidered details that decoration and structure seamlessly merge to an improbable extent within the collection, resembling the skin of the future. The bags — or rather, the Baguettes — of Fendi Couture gracefully assume the role of jewels. The most astonishing examples are simultaneously the most microscopic: tiny chain bags, with dangling fringes, paired with a series of flag dresses in chiffon at full length, offered in a palette of pale pink, light gray, or white. Organically shaped, exceptionally lightweight, and delicately outlined by intricately hand-embroidered patterns, they move sinuously with the wearer. In the Singular Vision sunglasses, designed by Delfina Delettrez Fendi, the frames made of 18-carat white gold and white diamonds follow the facial structure of their admirers. This notion of precious practicality at Fendi extends to all other accessories in the collection: the materials of the shoes (adorned with rhinestones and silver sequins) and the clothing (from lined crocodile to fringed and flowing embroideries) were not enough to prepare us for the arrival of what is the Fendi Gems Baguette on the runway, crafted in 18-carat white gold with a buckle adorned with diamonds and a platinum leaf applied to the crocodile. A continuous dialogue between poetry and reality.
