After exploring the comfort of being at one with nature last season, Silvia Venturini Fendi headed into a whole other direction for this one. Technology and its effects on the world – both good and bad – were on the designer’s mind while she was creating the Fendi AW20 collection. Reimagining the “new normal,” Venturini Fendi created a wardrobe for the everyday warrior as she combined utilitarianism and femininity to provide her audience with an armour for making a better future. “We have to be prepared to live in hard times,” the designer said backstage while explaining the layering of ideas that made next season’s silhouette. Fendi’s signature yellow was used extensively, now signifying a warning for danger of what’s to come.
There were plenty of tricks to challenge the traditional menswear ideas. Think micro tops layered under maxi coats and two-toned jackets which unzipped into cropped variations. Some of the wide-legged trousers were actually skirts, as they connected in the back like a backward skort. These looked almost monastic in their elongated silhouettes, once again playing on the dichotomy of retro-futurism. Fluffy bucket hats à la Jamiroquai and chunky platform boots added to the playfulness and will definitely be one of the most coveted pieces of the season. As always, bags were aplenty too. Perhaps the strongest in the bunch were the travel Peekaboos, which added a heritage look of 1800s luggage to the shape.
The final section of the show marked a collaboration with Japanese brand Anrealage who were one 2019 LVMH Prize finalists and are best known for their experimental approach to textiles. On the catwalk, the Anrealage x Fendi collab came in the form of four full looks which transformed in front of the audience’s eyes while being exposed to UV lights. By using these fabrics visibly affected by the sun, Venturini Fendi wanted to reflect the ways our society is influenced by the changing nature of the environment.
Photographs by Jason-Lloyd Evans.
