February 26, 2026 |
Maria Grazia Chiuri brought craft and pragmatism to her Fendi debut with a focus on refined, tailored silhouettes that work on any gender. The designer has a new motto to inform her Fendi era: “Less I, More Us”. It is inspired by the collective culture at the house which was powered by five sisters – Paola, Anna, Franca, Carla and Alda – before becoming part of LVMH.
Aged 24, Chiuri started her career at the house and worked with those five sisters as well as Silvia Venturini Fendi with whom she created the iconic baguette bag in 1997. In a preview she described the sisters as, “great visionaries,” for having the foresight to collaborate with Karl Lagerfeld from 1965, and to bring their artisanal family brand to a global stage. She said working with them was a “really a big school, not only for me, for many designers. They taught me to work in a team, to collaborate, to be innovative while maintaining tradition. Those are the elements of our work here.”
Returning to the house where she started, Chiuri spoke of seeing Fendi “with fresh eyes but also through my recollections”. If her Dior was informed by a 1950s silhouette, her Fendi looks to the geometric lines of the jazz age and the Art Deco roots of the house founded in 1925.
The first – a silk shirt dress and blazer all in black – signalled her a her intention to strip it back to refined elegant looks in a somber, monochromatic palette. Fendi is rooted in modernism, and also, via Lagerfeld, the Viennese Secession, “this is the reason that Fendi is so clean,” said the designer who put striking geometric detailing on lace flapper dresses. Her biggest nod to Lagerfeld came with detached white cotton collars worn with many looks.
Her biggest innovation was showing masculine/feminine versions of many looks calling it “a shared wardrobe”. The approach came from a streamlining of her working practice to work with the same team on men’s and women’s. “We do a coat, we do a jacket, we do pants. We change the size, but it’s the same,” said the designer who often wears her husband’s coats.
Chiuri aims to create an expansive Fendi wardrobe. Beyond the sleek tailoring, there was a little bit of everything from zip-up flight suits and joggers to bohemian embroidered gilets worn with denim board shorts. Alongside that there were spectacular moments of craft including coats and jackets made in hand crafted leather lace.
Bags are a big story. Chiuri put her stamp on house icons with heavily embellished Baguettes and perforated shoppers bearing the refreshed Fendi logo. Chiuri worked with graphic to “renovate” the house Double-F logo and font – thinking of it as more of a signature than a splashed all over print. She also directly address fur on the catwalk and beyond. With anti-fur protesters massed outside Chiuri unveiled the Echo of Love project where clients can bring vintage furs to be remade into something new by the Fendi artisans.
Her Dior years saw a remarkable series of collaborations with female artists. She’s continuing that tradition at Fendi working with the estate of Italian sculptor and poet Mirella Bentivoglio for jewellery and graphic T-shirts, while furry football scarves, came with phrases (“Rooted but not stuck”) by Italian artist Sagg Napoli. Fendi’s Chiuri era has begun.
Photography Courtesy of Fendi.
