The Versace And Fendi Partnership Goes Both Ways.
In a world where luxury houses battle it out to stay on top, smart designers are joining forces. So far we've seen Gucci "hack" Balencaiga for its Aria collection. Raf Simons joined Miuccia Prada to co-design for the foreseeable future. And yesterday, Fendi and Versace presented a dual runway, a fashion first that will go down in history. Introducing, without farce, Fendaci.
"This is not a collaboration," states the press release, getting straight to the point. Fendi by Versace, or Versace by Fendi, is a pre-spring 2022 pop-up collection made through the efforts of the two houses' leaders: Kim Jones, Fendi’s women’s wear artistic director, and Silvia Venturini Fendi, Fendi’s men’s wear designer. This also marks the unique moment where both matriarchs of the family-run fashion houses are stepping away for a joint effort. "It’s a first in the history of fashion: two designers having a true creative dialogue that stems from respect and friendship," stated Versace. "It led to us swapping roles to create these two collections."
The runway show, presented in Milan, was divided into two. The first half featured Fendi interpreting Versace followed by its vice-versa mirror. The end result is a meeting of style codes (although Versace has a more definitive fashion vocabulary than Fendi, whose history has seen a carousel of creative directors): the master craftsmanship of Fendi reworks Versace's signature chanmail; Tailoring is introduced in micro silhouettes and trimmed in neon fur. And most notably, ornate Greek prints are plastered alongside Fendi's iconic Zucca monogram.
What both houses do share is a love of Supers. Shalom Harlow, Amber Valletta, and Kate Moss walked the Versace by Fendi section while Gigi Hadid and Naomi Campbell closed Fendi by Versace. Their combined legions of celebrity fans attended in support of the disruptive showcase: Dua Lipa, Demi Moore, Addison Lee, Winnie Harlow, and Iris Law all sat front row for the event.
While the exact dates of the collection's launch have yet to be announced, we're positive this buzzy, non-collaboration collaboration will sell out immediately. You can preemptively mark your calendars now for its winter drop, but until then, bask in the synergy that is the state of fashion in 2021, where collectivism takes precedence over individual artistic pursuits. Ayn Rand might not approve, but Fendace is logomania-squared, with a cult-following already amassing. What a time to be alive.
