As Fendi celebrates 100 years of iconic design, we look back at the House’s most memorable moments across the decades.
Fendi’s first store
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Fendi was founded in 1925 by designers Edoardo Fendi and Adele Casagrande, who launched their first line that same year. The Selleria collection was inspired by Roman master saddlers and made from soft-grained Cuoio Romano leather.
Just a year later, the first Fendi boutique opened in Rome on Via del Plebiscito, specialising in handbags and fur. The second boutique opened on Via Pave in Rome in 1932.
Fendi’s first show
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Eduardo and Adele’s five daughters, known as the ‘Fendi sisters’, Paola, Anna, Franca, Carla, and Alda, joined the family business in 1946 and would pivot the brand from a leather goods business to a high fashion label. They presented their first fashion show at the Grand Hotel in Rome. La Collezione dell’Amore (The Love Collection) would lay the foundation for the codes of Fendi today.
FENDI Casa
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In 1987, the first Fendi Casa collection launched, marking the House’s first foray into the interior design world. From its inception, the home offering, for Fendi, has strived to achieve the ‘perfect setting where aesthetics meet emotion’. Today, Fendi Casa is known for its architectural aesthetic, incorporating the key codes of Fendi: the arches of Fendi HQ Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana, the FF and Karligraphy logos, Pequin stripes and meticulous tailoring. Designs are crafted by artisans using the very best materials, with no detail being too small.
Fendi Spring/Summer 2008 show at the Great Wall of China Show
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Fendi made history in 2007 by being the first ever brand to showcase a collection at the Great Wall of China in Beijing. The Unesco World Heritage Site was transformed into a runway by then Creative Directors Karl Lagerfeld and Silvia Venturini Fendi to present Fendi’s Spring/Summer 2008 collection, celebrating 80 years of the House. The collection, which consisted of 88 looks, was a synergy of East and West, paying homage to Fendi’s design codes, as well as incorporating traditional Chinese designs.
90th Anniversary show in Rome
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For the Autumn/Winter 2017 show, which celebrated 90 years of Fendi, another iconic world site was turned into a catwalk: the Trevi Fountain in Rome, the city where it all began.
The collection, Legends and Fairytales, was inspired by the magical world of princesses and princes. Incredible gowns and precious furs (now fun furs) took centre stage, adorned by romantic detailing such as embroidery and beading, mimicking starry nights, colourful bugs and feathery creatures.
“I always take inspiration from what is in the air. But this time I especially took inspiration from illustrations of legends and fairy takes, very romantic and modern at the same time. All the looks have something poetic, but in a very contemporary dimension,” stated Karl Lagerfeld at the time.
Autumn/Winter 2019-20 Couture Show
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The Dawn of Romanity collection was another homage to Rome, this time set in the beautiful Temple of Venus. The 54 looks created by Karl Lagerfeld represented the perfect blend of history and modernity, showcasing the extreme craftsmanship and creativity of the Roman Maison. There were stunning 70s-inspired embroidered gowns, lame separates, statement coats and intricate accessories aplenty. The show was succeeded by an intimate dinner for the likes of Zendaya, Silvia Venturini Fendi and Susan Sarandon.
The Baguette
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Few handbag designs are as iconic as the Fendi Baguette bag. Such is its status that it was forever immortalised in popular culture thanks to Carrie Bradshaw in Sex And The City (“It’s not a bag, it’s a Baguette.”)
Designed by Silvia Venturini Fendi in 1997, the slim shoulder bag quickly became a cultural phenomenon and work of art, re-interpreted many times over the decades by the likes of Jeff Koons and Francesco Vezzoli. Fendi have also teamed up with local artisans to create one-of-a-kind Baguettes as part of their hand-in-hand initiative.
The Peekaboo
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A decade later would come another iconic bag, still one of Fendi’s bestselling designs: the Peekaboo. The playful accessory was inspired by the children’s game, ‘peekaboo, I see you’ and once again celebrated the impeccable craftsmanship of the Maison.
It was a little more discreet than other logo-centric bags at the time, with just a discreet ‘Fendi’ stamped on the lock of the ladylike bag. A roomy and feminine bag, modern yet reminiscent of a 50s purse, it’s a bag that looks just as chic open as it is shut – another nod to the name. Here again, many big names have re-interpreted the design, name Tracey Emin and Zaha Hadid for a charity auction in 2014. Celebrity fans include the Kardashians, Rihanna and the royals.
It has known many playful updates across the years (embellished with gems and eyes for example) and more recently has welcomed the Peekaboo Soft Small to the collection.
Kim Jones’ debut
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Kim Jones made his big debut as Creative Director of Fendi with the Spring/Summer 2021 Couture collection. Enlisting the help of iconic models Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell to showcase his first designs for the House, Kim trod the line between femininity and masculinity. It was an homage to strong women, including literary icons (Virginia Woolf’s Orlando was a source of inspiration) and four generations of Fendi women.
Regal designs included sheer capes, metallic gowns and plenty of embroidery. The masculine/feminine theme was created literally in the form of a dress which was half blazer, half off-the-shoulder floral dress, with male models also walking down the runway in floaty designs.
Fendi 100
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Another year, another milestone for Maison. The Fendi Autumn/Winter 2025 show marked an impressive 100 years of design. It was a true family affair, with Silvia Venturini Fendi, artistic director of accessories and menswear (daughter of Anna Fendi, one of the five sisters), opening the show with her two six-year-old grandsons Dardo and Tazio. The set featured two imposing wooden doors – a recreation of those found on their very first boutique.
“”Fendi reminds me of the future. I didn’t want to spend too much time dwelling on the physical archives. For me, Fendi 100 is more about my personal memories – real pr imagined – of what Fendi was and what Fendi means today,” Silvia said.
Elegant, timeless yet modern silhouettes dominated the catwalk, with the hourglass – a nod to the infinity symbol – evident in skirts and jackets with rounded sleeves. Other standout looks included marbled plissé and ribbed knit dresses, lambskin and taffeta trench coats, an ode to Italian power-dressing, and fluted Selleria coats in reversible deerskin and suede.