In April, the historic Fendi Maison will pay tribute to its new artistic director Kim Jones by publishing the volume The Fendi set: From Bloomsbury to Borghese. The book celebrates the works of the English director and features imagery by photographer Nikolai von Bismarck from The Fendi Set Haute Couture show that was held in Paris at Palais Brongniart on January 27th, 2021.
The collection was inspired by The Bloomsbury Set’s artistic movement, which started to grow in the first half of the 21st century and puts the strength of women, books, and epistolary writing at the core of its values. Since he was a child, Jones has had a deep interest and inner connection with the movement and decides to expand his creative vision on this topic in the book, which he dedicates to future generations, creating the perfect combination between historical research and the city of Rome, eternal symbol of the brand’s identity. The Fendi Set pays tribute to the passionate love story between Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville West, and the novel Orlando, analysing the role of gender identity in the past by translating it into the present. A sentimental and romantic return to passionate lovers, and the shared heritage of Bloombsury and Fendi, whilst recalling the uniqueness and beauty of England and Rome.
“I wanted a ghostly atmosphere, a dreamlike quality. ‘Orlando’ is about time travelling and I wanted the work to transcend time, to drift between the present, past and future. Nikolai’s photographic language and his exploration of both analogue and other experimental techniques and textures evokes these shifting narratives.”
