Fendi and Versace pull the ultimate switcheroo for Pre-Fall 2022 with Fendace. Much like their contemporaries Balenciaga and Gucci who joined forces before them, Fendi and Versace have decidedly stated that this is not a collaboration. Gucciaga or Balenciucci preferred the term ‘hacking’, with Gucci creative director Alessandro Michele given free reign of Balenciaga creative director Demna Gvasalia’s intellectual property, however Fendi and Versace have opted for a designer swap of sorts.
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In a move somewhat reminiscent of that Wife Swap TV show, the designers of each luxury Italian fashion house switch seams, designing for their rival; Kim Jones and Silvia Venturini-Fendi take on Versace womenswear and menswear respectively, while Donatella Versace takes on the entire Fendi collection, with the trio dubbing the resultant collection ‘Fendace’ (though we personally prefer Vendi). What’s notable about Fendace is that while Gucciaga represented two Kering brands coming together, Fendi and Versace do not share a parent company; the former is held by Capri Holdings while the latter is owned by LVMH. Additionally, both Fendi and Versace are family houses, marking the first time both Silvia Venturini-Fendi and Donatella Versace have inhabited the vision of another fashion house.
“It’s a first in the history of fashion: two designers having a true creative dialogue that stems from respect and friendship,” said Dontella Versace of the swap. “It led to us swapping roles to create these two collections.” Created with full access to the archives of each fashion house, Fendance comprised 50 looks, split up into two sections; the first being Versace by Fendi, and the second Fendi by Versace.
A veritable mishmash of logos, motifs, design codes, and iconography, Fendace comes off looking rather more Versace than Fendi, with Fendi’s FF motif unable to compete with Versace’s loud baroque stylings and medusa motifs. However, Jones and Venturini-Fendi do seem markedly better able to capture the essence of their rival’s fashion house than Donatella Versace does for Fendi; Versace by Fendi seems very Versace, while Fendi by Versace…also seems very Versace. That being said, covetable looks are in no short supply, with the lively Fendace collection bringing some much needed excitement into fashion week.
Versace by Fendi
Fendi by Versace
Words by Theo Rosen
