The new FENDI Factory in Capannuccia, near Florence, clad in earth and concrete, seamlessly merges in with the Tuscan landscape. It serves as an innovative centre dedicated to excellence in fine leather goods, surrounded by newly planted olive orchards and indigenous flora. The FENDI Men’s Spring Summer 2024 collection, designed by Silvia Venturini Fendi, the brand’s artistic director of accessories and menswear, pays homage to this new venture and marks a historic return to Florence, where Silvia Venturini Fendi’s grandmother Adele Fendi once traveled from Rome to learn the art of leather craftsmanship nearly a century ago.
SPRING SUMMER 2024 COLLECTIONS
The collection, presented in the FENDI Factory‘s light-filled atrium, becomes a metafictional meditation on the creative process. It emphasizes the interaction between man and machine, bridging the gap between the past and the future. The show delves into the junction of nature and innovation, fusing the industrial and the handmade in a never-ending dance that captivates the eye without jeopardizing the skill of the craftsman.
The season’s aesthetic is grounded in utilitarian elegance, celebrating the archetype of the “corporate artisan” via refined expressions of FENDI‘s craftsmanship. Cotton and leather clothes with patch pockets reminiscent of workwear belts are featured in the collection, reflecting both real and figurative tools of the trade. The apron takes center stage as it is incorporated into halter neck collared shirts, skirts of varied lengths teamed with tailored pants, and city shorts. From shrunken ribbed body tanks to high-waisted zip-off suit pants and knee-length dress shirts tied at the elbow, the collection plays with proportions.
The color palette is inspired by the Tuscan environment and features mineral tones such as burned umber, terracotta, and deep blue. A subtle cloud of sage, limestone, and chalk softens these hues. Light summer wools and nettle fiber knits are among the fabrics coloured with vegetal pigments derived from acacia, juniper, henna, and poppy. Other raw materials used in the collection include woven paper textiles, fine “pattern-print” linen, unbleached cotton drill, FF scarf silks, plongé leather, and Selleria-stitch nubuck leather. FF “tweed” is carefully woven into coated cotton and linen clothing, featherweight knit shearling coats, geometric silk separates, and indigo fil coupé FF denim, paying homage to the Italian craft of basket weaving. Trompe l’oeil effects, such as tonal FF jacquards, cotton flower embroidery, and a contrast tack-stitch motif for eveningwear, highlight the artisan’s talent.
Through tactile manifestations of the FENDI Factory’s finest craftsmanship, the FENDI Men’s Spring Summer 2024 accessories line examines the concept of the “corporate artisan” in a playful manner. Supple woven baskets, knotted jacquard “lunch” bags, raffia-embroidered weekenders, and structured and deconstructed bag shapes are all part of the collection. The Baguette and Peekaboo have been updated with vegetal-dyed linens, debossed leather “scales,” and trompe l’oeil “pattern-print” designs. The FENDI Lab clog stands out among the accessories. Designed with a swivel heel strap and a molded FF sole made of bio-based rubber, it perfectly complements the season’s shoe collection. Artistic Director of Jewelry Delfina Delettrez Fendi offers an irreverent spin with locker key-shaped pendants, “Made in Fendi” dog-tags, “StaFF Only” badges, and 1925 hoop earrings. The FENDI Men’s Accessories Collection for Spring Summer 2024 also incorporates the FENDI KENGO KUMA project, which establishes a new artistic dialogue between Italy and Japan. This collaboration applies Kuma’s architectural principles to FENDI‘s Peekaboo, Baguette Soft Trunk, and FENDI Flow sneakers, among others. The products are made with traditional Japanese materials, including waranshi paper, woven bamboo, birch bark, and Tuscan olivewood.
The FENDI Men’s Spring Summer 2024 fashion show is a dual presentation. It begins by revealing the collection to the artisans of the FENDI Factory before being attended by press, guests, and friends of the House. The digital experience, conceived and directed by Italian artist Nico Vascellari, seamlessly transitions between both presentations.
