On the Crest of a Wave, as Fendi Gets Set to Mark its Centenary Year
Review of Fendi Spring 2025 Fashion Show
By Angela Baidoo
THE COLLECTION
THE VIBE
THE THEME
Silvia Venturini Fendi is soon to celebrate the brand’s centenary year, it being nearly 100 years since the brand was founded in 1925. The brands history within menswear is also set to mark 40 years since Fendi revealed the first men’s silhouette way back in, what now seems another age, 1990. In light of these significant upcoming milestones the creative director was in a reflective mood. A theme (reflection) which started with the shows invitation – rendered in a metallic silver – and carried through to the showspace. Set in the Open Studio within Milan’s Super Studio Maxi, the creative director worked with Nico Vascellari, who designed 6 mirrored columns to fill the minimalist space. Attracting the attention of curious selfie-taking attendees, their true purpose was revealed as ‘mobile monoliths’ (according to the show notes) as they leapt into choreographed action and spun in sync to a custom electronic soundtrack. A monolith is often referred to as a large structure (often made of stone) which serves as a pillar, the word can also be used to describe a large body who are slow to change – a possible subtle nod to the current fashion industry and its stubborn refusal to evolve in areas where change is most evidently needed. But what was smart about the ‘monoliths’ in todays show was the mirrored surfaces, acting as a reflection, looking back but also looking outwards. So even though we thought we were simply sitting in an empty space, we were in fact also being asked to reflect in the same way that the brand was doing today.
The fact that Silvia Venturini Fendi sees the menswear division of the Italian luxury brand as a sort of “travelling time capsule mirroring decades and destinations” according to the show notes, again references the idea and importance of reflecting the times, and in doing so there was also the note that the house believes the future is bright.
Like her fellow Milanese co-hort, returning to house codes spurred her to create a new uniform, but activated in a way which takes into account the moment in which the Fendi ‘time capsule’ finds itself in, namely a time of softer expressions of masculinity. So, rather than the buttoned-up, sharp-shouldered uniforms of old, for spring 2025 there was an exploration of watercolour pastels made into monogrammed checks, latte-coloured suedes in bomber jackets and bermuda shorts with textured furry resort shirts. Where there was a true look to the future was in the spliced silhouettes and design details, here soft knits came away from the shoulder via a neckline to hem button fastening, collars of polo tops were dramatically skewed to create an asymmetric opening, and the sleeves of blazers and jackets featured an open seam to the front allowing for an arm to slip through, leaving the bottom half to float freely.
Taking a step back again, within the collection a signature ‘Selleria’ stitch was worked into the broken pinstripe of a jacquard or used to create a “tonal FF logo”. The technique itself being part of the heritage of the brand as it was “passed to the Fendi family by Roman master saddlers in 1925” according to the show notes.
THE BUZZWORDS
School of Fendi, Not-as-we-know-it Nostalgia, wardrobe pillars
THE SHOWSTOPPER
Look #31
The skewed neckline revealing the classic tank top looks forward to new ways of experimenting with classic silhouettes, while the broken pinstripe stitch looks back to the brands heritage. The double bag also speaks to the ultimate in utility.
THE DIRECTION
THE QUOTE
Karl didn’t have time, and he didn’t want to do men’s, but he also didn’t want Fendi to have another designer at all…So they said I could do it, with whatever I had around the studio. It was 1997″
Silvia Venturini Fendi, Creative Director, Fendi
THE WRAP UP
Demonstrating why the Fendi brand has remained a stalwart, after nearly a centenary, lies in its roots in ‘experimentation and daring creativity’ while retaining a foundation in craft. Spring 2025 took us back to school and created a new way of considering the preppy aesthetic, this time around pastel checks mixed in with nods to the beautiful game with a football jersey – an ever-present force in the lives of Italian men – and daring elements which came through as off-kilter necklines and innovative sleeve details. These were the “sartorial puzzle pieces” that were referenced in today’s show notes, painting a picture that only becomes clear when the pieces are paired together, in this collection the layering via colour, texture, or silhouette made for a new take on wardrobe staples.
