“This is my first live show for Fendi, and it’s a celebration,” says Fendi creative director Kim Jones. “Our woman has let loose a bit – she’s going out, dressing up. We’ve all been locked away for so long that I think that’s what we all need right now.” For his sophomore RTW show at Fendi, Kim Jones once again turns to the Fendi archives. Viewing disco-glamour through a modern lens, the Fendi SS22 Women’s Ready-To-Wear collection stems from a hand-sketched logo by visionary fashion illustrator Antonio Lopez, tapping into the artist’s free-thinking nature and Studio 54 environment.
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The Fendi SS22 Women’s Ready-To-Wear collection takes on a tonal approach, symbolic of our journey outwards. Like angels emerging from the heavens, the opening two looks are modern takes on the disco suit, rendered in luminescent white. Models continue to glide out in shades of white; some left plain and others adorned with abstract brushstrokes.
Lopez’s designs are transposed onto Jones’ designs using Fendi’s flair for intricate techniques. Hues darken at a minute pace, delicately transitioning into the palest silvery grey and then introducing neutral caramel tones. A vibrant explosion of pink, purple, orange, and blue shades emerge, with Lopez’s designs losing their abstract nature and taking on a distinct form. The artist’s signature side profile illustrations are rendered on intarsia leather thigh highs and jackets; full colour illustrations flit across silk kaftans, dresses, and shirting; and Plexiglass jewellery are shaped into joyful topical motifs.
The illustration-averse are also well catered to, with several looks left unadorned with Lopez’s work. Flowy pants and dress sets (one with a matching cape) take form in the softest silks, bearing an all-over Fendi logo. Similarly, a couple of striking diagonally striped silk dresses and kaftans feature the aforementioned archival Fendi logo.
Finishing off with seductive looks in the deepest of blacks, the Fendi woman is an angel no more, solidifying her place on solid ground. “My FENDI is multi-generational. It’s for all different kinds of women – anyone who wants to feel good about themselves,” Jones reflects. “The Lopez woman, and the FENDI woman, is empowered; she’s someone of her own making.”
Words by Esmé Duggan
