Fendi, a name most known and loved for their fur and leather. However, this season, Silvia Venturini Fendi, creative director for accessories & menswear, has taken a step back from the bright and the bold and instead, entered a more neutral, executive realm.
This spring, Fendi went all things men in a collection that was rich and full of subtle splashes of simple colour that made the collection come to life. The collection, which takes you back to the office on a Friday afternoon, seems to say that there is a lot to indulge in on a late Friday afternoon before everyone knocks off work for drinks.
Being spring, the classic coat was expected to make an appearance and it delivered. The entire collection played with simple patterns that were constant throughout different pieces such as the suit and even the bags. This made the classic coat not seem so classic but instead, more timeless.
The palette remained quite neutral throughout the collection, maintaining the classic brown and tan and even some checkered and borderline tartan patterns seen especially on the ties and jacket lining. It brings a real sense of time travel to the collection with that 90s style business vibe.
No one could forget the famous fur and leather contributions to any collection by Fendi. Something that the label does so well, why fix what isn’t broken? A brown multi-textured jacket piece took advantage of fur with the sleeves. Another piece included a dark brown fur coat with an imprinted pattern. Leather, on the other hand, went more subtle within the shoes and the bags.
Fendi also teamed up with artist Sue Tilley, who was commissioned by Fendi to create sketches of tea cups, banana skins, lamps, telephones, bottle openers and bathroom taps which were turned into leather charms swinging from bags and prints on shirts. The focus on “mundane, household” objects was reflected in the rest of the collection which centred on the ordinariness of the office.
Overall, the collection emphasised poise and professionalism in the men’s fashion industry. Fendi played with a balance of neutrality and a slow build up of colour and textures kept the audience on their toes.
