Fendi SS26 was a breath of fresh air. There was nothing too serious about it and there didn’t need to be. It was a celebration after all, we just didn’t yet know what for. On the 29th of September, Silvia Venturini Fendi announced that she would be stepping down from her role, with Maria Grazia Chiuri taking over as creative director. The end of an era for the Italian house.
“The starting point was the print of the flowers, but the idea also of colours. More than colours, I would say shades because to me shades are more important than anything else,” the designer explained through Fendi’s Instagram account. “I wanted this collection to be gentle, kind and soft.” Blocks of coloured squares blended into each other to create a pixelated runway. The transformation of the Palazzo Fendi Milano imagined by Marc Newson was inspired by the patchwork of a quilt. Before the first model made their way through the maze of colours, light poured in and the music grew louder. It felt like the start of something special. Almost like a rebirth, for fashion and for Fendi; perhaps a sign of where the now resigned creative director hopes her family’s luxury brand will go.
Patchwork was another common thread throughout the entirety of the show. The pattern was woven into bags, some paired with pieces of similar shades and others matched with more patchwork. One look featured an oversized coat with woven shades of pink, red, brown, blue, black and yellow. An almost dizzying vision of colours. Each time you admire it, you find shades you might not have noticed at first glance.
While there were hints to various decades of Fendi’s history throughout the show, such as Karl Lagerfeld’s fur coats from the 70s and Baguette bags from the 90s, the whole collection had an undeniable 80s feel. Oversized, boxy silhouettes ruled the runway. So did mismatched earrings and bright neon colours. Coats, blazers and shirts were an incredible electric blue – a perfect embodiment of the decade. Organza shone in flamingo, taffy and coral shades of pink. The colours were so bright, it’s impossible to forget. Strikingly different from previous collections.
It wouldn’t be Fendi without the bags. Beaded cages, patchwork, textured, muted and multi-coloured. We saw it all. The collection introduced a new design to its repertoire– alongside usual favourites like the Peekaboo–the Collier bag. Sure to be a beloved accessory, the bag has chunky beaded necklaces for straps.
Where the clothes and handbags were bold, the makeup and hair were minimal. Models wore their hair slicked to the left, a thick gel sheen catching the light every so often. Alongside barely-there makeup, the garments were the focal point. They were the true star of the show.
Venturini Fendi has never been one to shy away from breaking the rules of luxury through her collections. Everyone knew this would be an important collection; the first Spring/Summer show since she took over full creative control in October 2024. Knowing it would be her last show, she took advantage and threw the luxury fashion playbook out of the window, each look injected with whimsy in colour, structure and styling. A bittersweet goodbye and a historic last hurrah. No one will forget the genius that is Silvia Venturini Fendi and the legacy she leaves behind with her family’s luxury fashion house.