Fendi will present Maria Grazia Chiuri’s first Couture collection for the house in Rome on Thursday, July 9, 2026. The evening show will take place at the Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea, bringing the designer’s Fall Winter 2026.27 Couture collection into one of the city’s leading art institutions.
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The event marks Chiuri’s first Couture presentation since she returned to Fendi as Chief Creative Officer in October 2025. The Roman designer began her career at the house and trained under the five Fendi sisters before building a career that later included senior creative roles at Valentino and Dior. She introduced her first collection in her new Fendi role during Milan Fashion Week in February 2026.
Fendi will open the July evening with a private view of “AFTER UN PERCORSO DI LAVORO. FENDI / KARL LAGERFELD 1985. AFTER STEPS THROUGH WORK.” The exhibition examines the relationship between the Roman house and Karl Lagerfeld and refers to an archival presentation that Fendi staged at the same gallery in 1985. After the preview, the museum will open the exhibition to the public from July 10 through October 25, 2026.
The pairing connects Chiuri’s arrival with a defining chapter in Fendi’s creative history. The five Fendi sisters appointed Lagerfeld as the house’s first artistic director in 1965. During his first year, he created the FF logo and introduced the “Fun Fur” idea, which reshaped the house’s approach to fur. His collaboration with Fendi continued for 54 years, giving the designer an unusually long relationship with a single fashion house.
Founded in 1883, the Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea occupies a building designed by Cesare Bazzani for the 1911 International Exhibition. Its collection spans Italian and international art from the 19th century to the present, with around 20,000 works by figures including Vincent van Gogh, Gustav Klimt, Amedeo Modigliani, Giacomo Balla, Lucio Fontana, Andy Warhol and Cy Twombly.
Fendi will present the Fall Winter 2026.27 Couture collection on the evening of July 9. The Karl Lagerfeld exhibition will welcome the public at the Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea from July 10 through October 25, 2026.
