BEHIND THE CRAFT
BAZAAR goes backstage at Fendi’s haute couture extravaganza in Rome to chat with Silvia Venturini Fendi about Karl Lagerfeld’s legacy, looking back and moving forward.
You’ve mentioned that this project is an homage to Karl Lagerfeld—how did that manifest itself in the collection?
First of all, this space was chosen together with Karl. We could have cancelled it, but we decided it was even more important to be here and continue. The last time I met him, he gave me a book to start developing ideas about fabrics, materials, inspirations. So I started from that book, which was about art and architecture in Venice. And then I thought, with Karl, it’s never just one inspiration, it’s never so simple—so I put some of me in it. We’re a Roman house, I’m Roman, and we’re in Rome—how do we make something Roman without being too obvious? So I came here to meet with the archaeologists and they were telling me about these old Roman villas with beautiful marbles and mosaics, and I decided to apply those elements. And I thought the best way to honour Karl was not to be too nostalgic, so I avoided too many references from the archives. I selected some ideas from the archives, but in a free way, just as a starting point. The haircut was taken from one of his sketches. And we showed 54 looks, for his 54 years with Fendi.
What is your vision like now, as the sole designer for the House?
My vision is to continue respecting; to write the future but also remember the past. It’s something I’ve learned living here in Rome. My vision is, of course, going to be very personal because I’m not Karl’s clone. So the feminine point of view will probably be different. We will continue to push the boundaries, because we can. We are used to challenges and to never repeating ourselves.