Fendi: material future
im Jones was not deterred by the weight of history at the 1925-founded Roman house of Fendi. Making light work of reinventing Italian aristocratic elegance for now, he let his ideas float: in wafer-thin one-shoulder sheaths and multi-dimensional sequins practically levitating off the surface of skirts and opera gloves. Skilfully, he fused this to the house history hewing close to Fendi's roots as a furrier but, crucially, subbing in animal-friendly, opulent, shaggy textures. Short layered fringe on a petrol blue skirt was a glossy mimicry in metallic fibres. A melange of tufted gold, brown and copper threads read as a decadently ersatz fur coat. Punctuating it all was a classic futurism – not an oxymoron but a compelling mash-up of timeless
