From the moment Naomi Campbell closed Off-White spring/summer 18 in a tailored jacket and cycling shorts combo, lycra-clad thighs have become a regular sight. Still, one doesn’t expect to see them on the catwalk of Fendi. Yet, in 2018, when modern luxury is constantly being redefined, we’re beginning to expect the unexpected. Fashion should provoke and surprise – thankfully, Silvia Venturini Fendi and Karl Lagerfeld are happy to oblige.
On the morning the Rome-born luxury house announced incoming Fendi Mania — a capsule collection that’s evolved out of the autumn/winter 18 women’s show where Fendi re-appropriated the Fendi/Fila mash-up logo created by Instagram artist @hey_reilly and featured it on the catwalk — Silvia Venturini Fendi and Karl Lagerfeld once again reminded us that luxury fashion is constantly evolving. From Adwoa Aboah opening the show in a transparent, pocket-filled rain mac through to Adut Akech closing in a richly embroidered and wildly romantic sheer dress, Fendi and Lagerfeld broke fresh ground within the storied house.
In one moment, the pair reintroduced the iconic 1997 It Bag, the Baguette, but updated for the many uses today’s consumer demands — coming in a variety of fabrications and logo-heavy forms. The past, reimagined. The next, they had Binx embody the future in those cycling shorts and leather harness, then Bella in a silk shirt, utility belt and another cycling short variant. Creating product that feeds into both 90s and 00s nostalgia and sci-fi dystopian daydreams is no easy task, but Fendi and Lagerfeld make it look easy.
Credits
Photography Mitchell Sams