Fendi is an Italian luxury goods brand started in 1925. The house had to become a brand—an entity recognizable by a global audience. They were such an instant hit so much so that the following Fendi Autumn/Winter 2013 collection was dedicated to the neon colored furry Fendi Monster. An Italian designer brand founded in 1925 and is famous for its reasonably priced fur coats. Two decades after it first opened, the couple called upon their five daughters—Paola, Franca, Carla, Anna and Alda—to modernize its production processes. Their mouths became much smirker and their eyes were bolder and playfully accentuated with Swarovski crystals.Starting as a small store in Rome specializing in furs and leather goods, Fendi found a niche in the market with their naturally yellow tinted, parchment leather bags. The FF logo was first created by Karl Lagerfeld when he joined Fendi in 1965 to highlight the brand's creativity and innovation in its usage of fur. The sisters decided to source a new fashion designer to push the brand in a more contemporary direction. The brand now stood for high craftsmanship expressed through unique playfulness, and it worked. Karl Lagerfeld catapulted the brand even further with his innovative approach of mixing furs and vibrant patterns, while still staying faithful to Fendi’s female empowering principles.This year Fendi celebrated 90 years of business and shuttled guests by chartered plane to Rome for a haute couture show at Trevi Fountain of La Dolce Vita. During their first meeting, Lagerfeld instinctively grabbed a piece of paper and penned the iconic inverted Zucca, or Double F. “I drew the [Double F] in three seconds,” he recalls in Loic Prigent’s 2013 ‘Karl Lagerfeld Sketches His Life’ documentary, “and it became the acronym of the [Fendi] house.” Only then, Fendi began its new life exactly 40 years after the Maison was founded.LEFT: Carrie Bradshaw with a Fendi Baguette bag; RIGHT: Kanye West via GlamourThe logo became part of popular culture through TV shows like Sex & The City and its prominence within the music scene. The Fendi Monster range is red hot this season and continues to be a craze as the little Monsters evolve season after the season. Designed to resemble the 80-year-old designer’s signature monochrome uniform, the Karlito’s sunglasses are black mink, his torso is silver fox, and there’s a tuft of goat fur sprouting from his head for good measure.The Monsters are made from a decadent mix of fox and mink fur, a leather strap and a silver keyring and became an overnight must-have accessory for the entire fashion world.
Krizia’s PR Director, Franco Savorelli, was tasked by the Fendi sisters to find a couturier capable of refreshing their fur business, and Lagerfeld was up for the challenge. It was the mantra and creative path Lagerfeld had envisioned for Fendi: Fun Furs. In 1965, Karl Lagerfeld’s collaboration with Fendi began, and he immediately set the tone: fun and creatively insolent. In the 3rd season of Sex & The City, Carrie Bradshaw’s purple Baguette bag is stolen from her with much despair, making it instantly a must-have accessory.