Fendi Exhibition

Having a huge passion for the fashion world, any museum or exhibition encompassing fashion is a must visit for me. In fact when I went to Florence the main museums I wanted to visit were the Salvatore Ferragamo and the Gucci ones – Which I will tell you about in the next few posts. However when I started to see all my friends posting photos of the Fendi Exhibition in Rome I knew I had to go before it ended. Being in Geneva and having my flight for Rome on the 23rd of December would have been an issue as the exhibition will end on the 11th of December, so I booked a flight (of course to see my family and friends) but also to go to this fantastic exhibition.

The Fendi exhibition was hosted in the Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana as its 90 year celebration. This exhibition was called The Artisans of Dreams and it encompasses a labyrinth of knowledge and important information in order to celebrate its creativity and unique fur craftsmanship, elements that make up the values of this magnificent Roman Luxury House.

Story of Fendi:

In 1926 Edoardo and Adele Fendi opened their first handbag shop and fur workshop in Via del Plebescito, Rome. The company then passed down to their five daughters who kick-started Fendi’s transformation. The real change happened in 1965 when Karl Lagerfeld started to collaborate with Fendi. Silvia Venturini Fendi, third generation, joined Karl and together they created wonders, such as the baguette and Peekaboo bags. In 2000 LVMH bought a large stake of Fendi, becoming in 2011 its major shareholder. From then onwards Fendi has only been growing into the incredible brand it is today.

The Exhibition in Detail:

The exhibition tries to narrate to us the history behind Fendi in its 7 different areas. The first room holds a video called Fendi: Hands make Beauty. In this room you are completely immersed in the world of Fendi since the opening of the first shop in 1926. The next room is considered the fur labyrinth – it is magical. You are surrounded by hundreds of types of furs and patterns that have been used by the artisans to experiment and research on fur.

The next room is my favourite, known as the Obsession room. You enter and it is like a completely different world. It is a mirrored room made of around 300 hanging fluffy bag bugs – it was my dream world. This one room made the whole exhibition worth going to!

The following room is called Craftsmanship, filled with Karl Lagerfeld’s patterns and videos shown how these masterpieces were created by the artisans. There was also a fur artisan who was in the midst of making a fur scarf – it was mesmerizing to see how something starting in that way ends up costing thousands of pounds!

Next was the Essentials room, showcasing a selection of iconic furs and bags such as the Baguette and the Peekaboo. I would have given anything to own one of those incredible outfits.

The last room was the Dream room, where you sit down in the middle of the room and you are circulated by screens showing different perspectives of Fendi’s Haute Fourrure Fall/Winter 2016/17 fashion show. In case you didn’t know, this show made history. After the reconstruction of the Trevi Fountain made possible with Fendi’s donations, they used it to create a catwalk for their fashion show. This was noted as one of the most unique and mesmerizing fashion shows.

After the tour had finished, I couldn’t have been happier to discover a whole life behind an item of clothing or a bag. I guess once you see what goes behind each piece of leather good or accessory or clothing then you really understand why it is the price it is today. Because it is not only the item your paying for, but the hundreds of years of experience, love and care going into each and every item they sell today.

If you find yourself in Rome in the next few days I cannot stress how interesting this Exhibition is, especially if you love fashion. It is a free exhibition and it is open from 10 AM-8 PM Monday to Saturday.

Photo gallery