Fendi Srl is an Italian luxury fashion house producing fur, ready-to-wear, leather goods, shoes, fragrances, eyewear, timepieces and accessories. Founded in Rome in 1925 by fashion designers Edoardo Fendi and Adele Casagrande,[5] Fendi is known for its fur, fur accessories, and leather goods. Since 2001, Fendi has been part of the "Fashion & Leather Goods" division of the French group LVMH. Its headquarters are in Rome, in the Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana.[6]
History
Early years
The house of Fendi was launched in 1925 by Adele and Edoardo Fendi (1904–1954) as a fur and leather shop in Via del Plebiscito, Rome.[7] In 1932 Adele and Edoardo Fendi opened a boutique in via Piave; the shop became a popular destination for tourists in Rome.[8]
In 1946, the five sisters Paola, Anna, Franca, Carla, and Alda joined the company in its second generation as a family-owned enterprise,[9] each owning 20 percent.[10] Karl Lagerfeld joined Fendi in 1965[11] and became the creative director for the fur and women's ready-to-wear collections (launched in 1977).[12]
In 1966, Lagerfeld created the company logo,[13] a double F in a square, which would later be the subject of various reinterpretations. Also in 1966, Fendi presented its first high fashion collection, expanding its interests in the United States and Japan. In 1969, its first commercial line of fur was launched, and in the following years, cosmetics and men's accessories were released. In 1977, Fendi introduced clothing for the first time, its ready-to-wear collection.[14]
1980s–1990s
In the 1980s, Fendi expanded its range with perfumes in 1985,[8] as well as eyewear, jeans, and home furnishings in 1987.[15]
In 1989, Fendi opened its first United States boutique in New York on 5th Avenue.[16]
In 1994, Lagerfeld launched the Knicoat collection, a line of wool coats and sweaters designed to be worn together.
Also by 1994, fashion operations were responsible for 90 percent of the firm's total revenue, of which 50 percent came from leather goods and accessories, 20 percent from apparel and 20 percent from furs.[17] That year, Paola Fendi handed over the presidency of the company to her younger sister Carla.[18] Silvia Venturini Fendi, daughter of Anna, also joined the fashion house in 1994 and has since been the artistic director for accessories and co-designer of the women's line alongside
Sale of controlling share
Fendi was a family-controlled company until 1999, when Prada and LVMH, the world's biggest luxury goods group, joined to buy 51 percent of Fendi for $545 million; competitor Gucci lost out in the bidding process.[19][20] Under the deal, Prada and LVMH were obligated to acquire any of the 49 percent of Fendi, should the sisters decide to sell.[10] The label lost approximately 20 million euros in 2001 and again in 2002.[21] In 2002, Prada agreed to sell its 25.5 percent stake to LVMH for $265 million.[22] In 2002, LVMH acquired an additional 15.9 percent of the company.
2010s
In 2015, Fendi celebrated fifty years of business with Karl Lagerfeld and organized its first haute couture fashion show dedicated to furs, Haute Fourrure, at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris.[29][30] Later the brand celebrated its 90th anniversary with a fashion show at the Trevi fountain in Rome[31][32] and planned to move its headquarters to Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana,[33] paying 2.8 million euros per annum to occupy the space;[34] Fendi instead opened a hotel and its largest store at the location in 2016.
2020s
In September 2020, English designer Kim Jones was announced as artistic director of Fendi's women's collection, formerly occupied by Lagerfeld.[39] Under his leadership, Fendi collaborated on a clothing collections with Kim Kardashian's shapewear brand Skims (2021),[40] Versace (2022)[41] and Stefano Pilati (2023).[42]
In May 2024, Fendi announced its return to the perfume market with a first collection of seven scents directly inspired by its origins.
Other activities
Diffusion lines
In 1983, Fendi launched the Fendissime diffusion line of furs, ready-to-wear clothing and handbags, then designed by Silvia, Maria Teresa and Federica Fendi.[45][46] From 1987 to 1992, Silvia Venturini Fendi served as the label's designer.[47] The Fendissime line closed in 2001.[48]
Other diffusion lines have included Fendi 365, Fendi Country (later Fendi Jeans),[17] and Fendi Maglia knitwear.[49]
Artistic directors
In 1925, Adele Fendi and Edoardo Fendi established the house of Fendi in Rome.[58] The company sold furs, leathergoods, and accessories.[59] Their children Paola, Anna, Franca, Carla and Alda later took over the house.[59]
Karl Lagerfeld joined Fendi in 1965 as the lead designer in efforts to modernise the company.[60] He also oversaw the 1977 expansion into ready-to-wear.[61] After Lagerfeld's death in 2019, Silvia Venturini Fendi took over the artistic direction of the women's collections.[62]
Cinema
Fendi has often collaborated with cinema; the maison has designed the clothes for Once Upon a Time in America, Evita and The Royal Tenenbaums.[72][73] Many famous film directors in the 1970s, including Luchino Visconti, Federico Fellini, Franco Zeffirelli, and Mauro Bolognini, chose Fendi furs for their characters.[74]
Fendi has also dressed Sophia Loren, Diana Ross, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Soraya, and Liza Minnelli.[75]
Campaigns
Lagerfeld himself was responsible for the photography of most of Fendi's ad campaigns before his death; since then, Fendi has worked with Philip-Lorca diCorcia (2001),[76] Nick Knight,[77] Craig McDean[78] and Steven Meisel.[79]
Past campaigns have featured Mark Ronson (2012),[80] Catherine Zeta-Jones (2019),[81] Zoey Deutch
Controversy
Fendi sued Burlington in 1986 for selling counterfeit handbags, and filed a new lawsuit in 2006 after concluding the company was violating the injunction.[92] In 2010, a U.S. Magistrate recommended that Burlington pay Fendi just over $5.6 million in damages, attorney's fees and costs to settle a dispute dating to 1986 over the alleged sale of counterfeit Fendi-branded leather goods. Burlington subsequently agreed to pay $10.05 million.[93]
Also in 2010, Fendi reached a $2.5 million settlement with the former parent company of Filene's Basement to resolve counterfeiting claims.[93]
External links
References
- Fendi store directory.^
- ^
- “Maria Grazia Chiuri Returns to Fendi as Chief Creative Officer” Elle, 14 October 2025, retrieved 6 November 2025^