Fendi celebrated its 100th year with a surprisingly ho-hum collection. It was nostalgic, sure , but it avoided any hint of what might be ahead in the future

Perhaps it’s an Italian trait—the urge to keep things familiare (and familiar?). For its 100th anniversary outing, Fendi looked back, not just at the house’s own archives, but also at the family that lent its name to the brand. Although the house is now owned by LVMH and Silvia Venturini Fendi is the only family member working for the brand, the latter made sure there was a sense of continuity when she had two of her grandchildren—the fifth gen—opened the show. The two boys, 7-year-old twins, pushed ajar massive doors that suggested the “historic salons of the Fendi boutique and atelier on Via Borgognona in Rome, where the five Fendi sisters—Alda, Anna, Carla, Franca and Paola—worked and played,” the brand informed. We did say it was a salute to the family affair.

For a 100th anniversary show, Fendi’s was surprisingly subdued, compared to, say, Dsquared2’s 30th, showed some days ago. We’re not saying Fendi should go all hip-hop excessive, but after a century, and they still desire a sense of staid elegance wasn’t quite in sync with an era of more dynamic optics. Yet, we did already see it: Fendi shall be lauded for its “blend of historical reverence and current fashion”. And they were. There shall be scant mention of design. And that turned out to be true, too. Reverence is not necessarily a bad pitch, but to be held back by it is hardly embracing let’s-move-to-the-next progress. Fendi was happy to be Fendi, lady-like and proper, fur-wrapped and leathe-sleek. Nothing wrong with that per se, but it made us wonder why we bothered to wake up at the odd hour of the night to watch the livestream.

“The women’s and men’s collections are intertwined with sartorial traditions and subversive takes on Italian sophistication,” Fendi elaboratd. Subversion? Or Puffery? Silvia Venturini Fendi is credited for putting the anniversary collection together. She has never been in charge of womenswear, having been the creative director for the menswear. But after Karl Lagerfeld died in 2019, Ms Fendi did interim collections, but her flair has been in handbags, not clothing. Even Kim Jones, also an untested womenswear designer and who exited his role as artistic director of haute couture, ready-to-wear and fur collections for women last October, after four years at the house, was not quite able to secure Fendi’s position in the womenswear arena, made more difficult by younger brands such as Miu Miu and the increasingly stronger Diesel that showed an individualistic yet somewhat classic collection for the current season.

So, Ms Venturini Fendi’s “heightened sense of glamour” could tug heartstrings and set the tone for the future? We are not sure. Her glamour is lodged between the ’60s and ’70s and it saluted the primness associated with the time. It was waxing nostalgia and seemed at odds with the present, during which decorous dressing has little appeal (just look at any red carpet event), especially without a kooky twist. So, while she said she looked at old photographs, rather than archives, it was without doubt that she was far more enamoured with Fendi’s heritage as a furrier and their particular love of leather. So she brought back fur coats Sophia Lauren in her hey days would have adored and leather outerwear that Marcello Mastroianni might have coveted but was not seen in. Since the introduction of their RTW in 1977, Fendi had showed what they can do. They need to do more now, not just show craftsmanship, they need to do a lot more.

Screen shot (top): fendi/YouTube. Photos: Fendi