Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to marry these two Italian fashion houses in the bond of holy matrimony. We have two iconic luxury Italian fashion houses — Fendi and Versace — uniting to create a collaborative show at Milan Fashion Week SS22 affectionately dubbed ‘Fendace.’ Fendi Creative Directors Kim Jones and Silvia Venturini Fendi have swapped roles with Versace Creative Director Donatella Versace as an opportunity to interpret each others’ lines through their own lenses. “Both a celebration of Italian fashion and a to-hell-with-it disruption of the established order of things, Fendace is Fashion with a capital F – and a capital V. Together they stand for Freedom, Fun and Virtuosity,” the brands said in a press release.
Versace is known for maximalism, bold colors and opulent Baroque prints that create a form-fitting silhouette whereas Fendi is typically known for its chic fur and leather garments as well as the signature ‘double F’ Fendi print. With well-established histories of both of these houses coming together, they have managed to create a historical moment of their own. A superstar-studded runway composed of models like Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss, Gigi Hadid, Adut Akech, Paloma Elsesser, Precious Lee and Imaan Hammam made the show into a cultural moment.
Jones and Venturini Fendi provide a nice contrast from what is typically expected of Versace. The collection largely saw the use of black, white and matte metallic gold leather as well as the staple Baroque print. The designs largely featured keyhole cutouts, safety pins, asymmetrical and strapless dresses. Though mainly staying with the brand’s classic black, white, yellow color scheme, a handful of the designs did include a blush pastel pink.
Donatella’s influence is a bit more pronounced and brings the glamor to the Fendi name. Versace utilized the Fendi print in nearly every garment and deviated a little more from the brand colors with a heavier presence of brighter pinks and blues. The collection saw bold statements with the use of oversized monogram belts, glittering chainmail fabrics, animal print, crop tops and miniskirts.
Both brands presented menswear that served us oversized matching sets and suits that complement the prevalence of street style in today’s world of fashion. The Versace presentation balanced between having prints dominate with peeks of solid and vice versa. Both the leather and Versace print trench coats feature a nice fur trim around the collar. The standard black suit is enhanced by strategically placed slits down the blazer and thigh. The Fendi menswear saw a black suit with stoned detailing and a complete Fendi print suit. The matching sets featured a denim print fabric paired with a light blue sweater as well as a light blue Baroque print coat and shorts that had splashes of the Fendi print peeking through.
Each designer did a wonderful job of marrying the Versace Baroque and classic Fendi print. Standouts from the show include the Baroque print swimsuits paired with matching bomber jackets, a baby blue cheetah print halter top and midi skirt with Fendi print jacket as well as Naomi Campbell’s closing pink chain strap chainmail column dress.
‘Fendace’ was truly a moment in fashion history.