Fendi History Case Study

Fendi is a luxury fashion brand with a global reputation. Fendi is an Italian brand renowned for its exceptional handbags crafted with unparalleled precision. Furthermore, the brand is associated with its iconic double "F" logo. Fendi has been in operation for over a century and continues to innovate and create new designs. The Fendi family has managed the brand throughout its history, ensuring that its collections remain inspired and accessible to its loyal clientele. This article takes a look back at the history of Fendi, tracing the brand's evolution from its origins to the present day.

The History of Fendi

Fendi is one of Italy's leading luxury fashion houses, offering a comprehensive range of men's and women's leather goods, shoes, accessories, fragrances and ready-to-wear. Most boutiques are named after their owners, and Fendi is no exception. The history of Fendi begins with Adele Casagrande, who was born in 1897. She began designing at an early age and in 1918 she opened her first leather and fur workshop in Via del Plebiscito in Rome. However, following her marriage to Edoardo Fendi, she changed the name of the company to Fendi.

Edoardo died in 1946, and his children became fully integrated into the company, taking over the business and expanding it. Adele and her daughters elected to concentrate on the fashion industry, and their inaugural Fendi fur coats were a resounding success. However, by the 1960s, the perception of fur had shifted as people began to see it as plain and outdated.

Fortunately for Fendi, the company benefited from a change in fortunes when the sisters hired a young German designer, Karl Lagerfeld. He initiated a modernisation of the fur line, thereby influencing perceptions of fur. Karl Lagerfeld transformed the way people wore fur and the way designers used it in fashion.

He succeeded in transforming fur into a soft, stylish and lightweight item. His objective was to develop a new product line for the brand, which involved experimenting with various finishes, materials, patterns and colours. His fur collections were a great success and quickly became popular. In 1966, Karl launched his first haute couture fur collection, which successfully introduced Fendi to international buyers. Following the positive feedback from the president of Bloomingdale's, Lagerfeld created the double 'F' pattern for the brand, which stood for Fun Furs.

In the late 1980s, the company also opened a boutique on Fifth Avenue in New York City. At this juncture, the next generation of Fendi women began to assume a more prominent role within the family business. The women in question created new work for Fendi and helped to further expand the business.

Iconic items

The 1990s proved pivotal in the evolution of the fashion house and its global impact on the fashion industry. In 1997, Fendi launched a successful line of handbags, which was spearheaded by Silvia Fendi. Her design was the inaugural "it" bag for the brand. She was responsible for the design of the "Baguette". The bag quickly gained popularity, with celebrities such as Naomi Campbell, Madonna and Julia Roberts adopting it.

The Baguette remains a popular choice for fashionistas around the world to this day. The bag is currently available in several versions. The fashion house has also released several other iconic bags, including the Ostrich Bag, Biga Bag and the Roll Bag. Fendi's bags are successful because they are designed to be very different from other existing bags. The company applies the same approach to its bags as it does to its other products. However, they are creative and often experiment with colours, patterns, materials and finishes that deviate from their typical approach.

Unforgettable fashion shows

In addition to iconic bags, Fendi has also organised some of the most iconic fashion shows of the century. One of the most notable events in the company's history occurred on October 19, 2007, when Fendi transformed the Great Wall of China into a showroom. A total of 88 models were showcased on the 88-metre-long showroom. The Great Wall was used for the first time as a backdrop for a fashion show, and the event was said to have attracted global attention. Subsequently, at Milan Fashion Week, Fendi utilised a high-definition drone to broadcast the Autumn/Winter 14 collection live across the city.