Fendi tinkers with logo again in new Roma/Amor capsule collection
Fendi is writing a new chapter in its FF series. Riding the current craze for logos and monograms, on May 14 the Roman luxury label owned by the LVMH group will launch the third capsule collection themed around its signature double F, as well as a sunglasses collection created in collaboration with uber-directional Korean eyewear label Gentle Monster.
The adventure began in London in May 2018, at a gala evening with a strong urban vibe enlivened by five graffiti artists, as Fendi launched FF Reloaded, the first capsule collection that gave a fresh twist to its monogram logo. The two interlocking letters ‘F’, one of them upside down, were devised by Karl Lagerfeld when he joined Fendi in 1965.
The logo was originally shorthand for ‘Fun Fur’, emphasising the label’s intention to modernise its renowned fur line. Over the years, the logo’s design and usage evolved, inspiring a black and brown jacquard fabric lining the label’s luggage line, which was eventually used to make some of Fendi's handbags too.
Last October, Fendi did it again with the Fendi Mania capsule collection, a blend of streetwear, sport and luxury, redesigning the logo as a combination of its own F and the F from the logo of Italian sportswear label Fila. It was a success, and this season the label is riffing on the theme with Fendi Roma/Amor, emphasising its Roman roots while again featuring the previous collections’ winning elements: the monogram, a sport/chic style and another collaboration with a young artist.
This time, Fendi has chosen British tagger Pref, famous for his pop 3D lettering. For the collection, he created 3D-effect graphics in the shape of a parallelepiped or a multi-coloured wave, exemplified by the marquetry-like patterns on the oversized leather bomber jacket.
The result is a collection distinctive for its “irreverent vibe, colourful, quirky and with a playful eccentric mood,” as the label described it in a press release. The collection caters to women, men and children - for the latter it features sweatshirts, parkas and t-shirts - and it combines ready-to-wear with sportswear items, ranging from jackets to jeans, shorts, trousers, jumpsuits, printed shirts, tracksuit bottoms, silk pyjama sets, as well as leather and nylon accessories, hats, scarves, headbands and eyewear.
The day-glo colour palette is Fendi Roma/Amor’s signature trait, to be found in the leather biker jackets, wind-breakers with oversize appliqué pockets, reversible XXL down jackets and pleated dresses and skirts. The same goes for the accessories, from sandals to sneakers to the Peekaboo, Baguette, Mon Trésor handbags and assorted clutch-bags, in an array of sizes and bright colours (fuchsia, yellow and orange) with electric blue, orange, pink and aqua green accents.
In parallel with Roma/Amor, Fendi is launching Gentle Fendi, a sunglasses collection designed by the Roman label in collaboration with eyewear brand Gentle Monster. The latter was founded in Seoul in 2011 by Jay Oh and Kim Han-Kook, and it literally exploded after actress Jeon Ji-hyun wore one of its models in the South Korean hit movie ‘My Love from the Star’. In 2017, L Catterton Asia, the investment fund backed by LVMH, acquired a stake in Gentle Monster by becoming the second-largest shareholder in I.I Combined, Gentle Monster’s holding company, besides its two founders.
The capsule collection consists of two unisex models and will be presented with a video directed by Russian art collective AES+F, whose extravagant aesthetic blends fashion and art, the past and the future. The collection will be available from early May at Fendi and Gentle Monster stores, and at partner opticians the world over. The launch will be fêted with two special events at the Gentle Monster stores in Seoul, on May 7, and Beijing, on May 14.
May 14 is also the official launch date of the Roma/Amor collection, taking place at 36 Fendi stores and concessions worldwide, among them Roma Palazzo, Milano Montenapoleone and Rinascente, Paris Avenue Montaigne, London New Bond Street and Selfridges. The fendi.com site will give the opportunity of buying select items ahead of the launch, from May 10 to 14, with pre-ordering possible from May 8. Special events will also be staged at four Fendi stores (Seoul Lotte Downtown, Tokyo Omotesando, Beijing SKP and New York Madison) and at Parisian department stores Galeries Lafayette and Printemps boulevard Haussmann.
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