Designers Switching Houses & Moving to New Brands

[youthinasia]

Fendi Williams

 

[Lola701]

I get your point but nowadays it's so difficult to be economically sustainable (as per LVMH / any conglomerate expectations) by doing maximalism / bourgeois instead of logo / intellectualism and in general releasing a toned down approach to fashion.
Take a look at the latest Silvia FW25 show: beautifully crafted, luxurious and eccentric, very Karl mid 2000's coded but kind of detached to reality in terms of proposition and feeling...passè and demodè. Even the fashion show felt a bit too much overwhelming and "heavy" with that specific casting, the runway venue and the coreography. That collection would cater only to middle aged "sciura milanese" women.
They definitely need someone to counterbalance the dusty approach from Silvia and make the collections a little bit more fresher otherwise it's not gonna work imo. I'm fine with doing roman high octane glamour and luxury experimentation for couture (e.g., FW19 couture), but for RTW you need a different approach to be relevant and get a decent turnover and not make Delphine pissed...
Unfortunately, not every brand can afford to do a LV x NG stunt and afford not to compromise your creative vision.

The thing is that Fendi is a different kind of brand.
I can assure you that what Silvia showed for FW2025 spoke to the Fendi core clientele. Despite being headed by Karl, Fendi was never a driving leading for of fashion. It was always « a la Marge »…Because of it eclecticism.

And then again, Fendi is a very different structure from Louis Vuitton. And also clientele. The clientele of Fendi is a little bit more mature. It’s also a little bit more international. Fendi is big in the US, in Asia, in the ME and in Italy. Even in Paris, they weren’t doing a ton of events for example for the local clientele because so much of their clientele was international. And I think the biggest miracle for a brand like Fendi is that despite having a monogram, they mostly sell leather bags.

Fendi tried to be relevant with Kim Jones? Ok we saw how it worked. Some few hits. But I can tell you that at the Parisian store alone, they were more excited by the current FW2025 than what happened during the years of « relevance ». Because yes, the Versace collab brought a lot of new people but they didn’t stayed…

 

[LadyJunon]

Fashion would do well not to overrate Gen Z as the target group all marketing and product developments are being centered around - Especially at a time when most societies are rapidly aging and people enjoy longer life expectancy. 'Best agers' are the customers with the largest brand loyality and spending power, and all too often did brands think they can throw clothes at them their children or grandchildren would wear, thinking it would also speak to an older clientele.

Hard agree. HF's insistance on catering to a really young audience is a really new phenomenon (since the 90s). Traditionally, these brands would cater their mainlines to an older clientele with the youngest being in their 30s, while offering a diffusion line (which was more accessible) to a younger, more active clientele. Of course, diffusion lines are somewhat looked down upon these days due to the "same product, but cheaper" sentiment behind them. That's why most of them got shuttered, absorbed or completely transformed like Miu Miu.

The thing is that Fendi is a different kind of brand.
I can assure you that what Silvia showed for FW2025 spoke to the Fendi core clientele. Despite being headed by Karl, Fendi was never a driving leading for of fashion. It was always « a la Marge »…Because of it eclecticism.

And then again, Fendi is a very different structure from Louis Vuitton. And also clientele. The clientele of Fendi is a little bit more mature. It’s also a little bit more international. Fendi is big in the US, in Asia, in the ME and in Italy. Even in Paris, they weren’t doing a ton of events for example for the local clientele because so much of their clientele was international. And I think the biggest miracle for a brand like Fendi is that despite having a monogram, they mostly sell leather bags.

Fendi tried to be relevant with Kim Jones? Ok we saw how it worked. Some few hits. But I can tell you that at the Parisian store alone, they were more excited by the current FW2025 than what happened during the years of « relevance ». Because yes, the Versace collab brought a lot of new people but they didn’t stayed…

I'll argue that Fendi fits more into the "cult brand" archetype, where it thrives of a relatively small, but insanely loyal clientele. Mothers pass the brand onto their daughters and Karl/Silvia makes minor adjjustements to fit that shift in lifestyle. Very much along the lines of Belgian and Japanese brands.

 

[Lola701]

I'll argue that Fendi fits more into the "cult brand" archetype, where it thrives of a relatively small, but insanely loyal clientele. Mothers pass the brand onto their daughters and Karl/Silvia makes minor adjjustements to fit that shift in lifestyle. Very much along the lines of Belgian and Japanese brands.

Yes maybe in some ways but not in the « cult » as we see Rick Owens or even the type of following of Hedi Slimane.
Even as a status symbol, it’s a kind of weird one.
What brought me to Fendi was Karl. Some people, it was SATC. Fendi wasn’t a brand that much around when I was younger. Yes I saw Mary J Blige with some Fendi as I recognized the double F. Even if they were doing furs, dressing Catherine Deneuve and all, there was never a « rich » attached to Fendi.
And even as a luxury brand, Fendi was never the most expensive one. When I started to get into their RTW, I was surprised because it was cheaper than Prada. Obviously than Chanel. And because it’s not a style that you can really explain for an Italian brand, I think the people who wears it feels more attached to it. It’s not sexy, it’s not intellectual, it’s not really arty. The clothes were always produced and the quality was always top!

You don’t buy Fendi to say « im wearing Fendi ». But I can attest that people are generally surprised when they asks you and they learn that you are wearing Fendi.

 

[PDFSD]

i would not be surprised if the ex marni Risso guy is going to Fendi instead ...just a feeling based on my headhunter skills :-) lol

 

[GERGIN]

i would not be surprised if the ex marni Risso guy is going to Fendi instead ...just a feeling based on my headhunter skills :-) lol

I’ll take him over Willy Wonka for Fendi any day…

 

[Nimsay]

I cant imagine being 58 hoping for my first big break.

 

[Lola701]

I cant imagine being 58 hoping for my first big break.

Go say that to Ralph Rucci…

 

[LadyJunon]

I cant imagine being 58 hoping for my first big break.

To be fair, he only started his brand 10 years ago and before then, he was working at American Eagle, Ralph Lauren and Yeezy. He's also the men's design director at Calvin Klein.

 

[PDFSD]

To be fair, he only started his brand 10 years ago and before then, he was working at American Eagle, Ralph Lauren and Yeezy. He's also the men's design director at Calvin Klein.

and he learned nothing ....to be fair :-)

 

[Nimsay]

with those credentials he should be a Co Chair at a fashion school. Its giving mid life crisis.

 

[Grets]

What a nightmare. Fendi is the mob-wife aesthetic matriarch. She is Carmela Soprano (at best she thinks she is Carrie Bradshaw) but her husband definitely voted Trump even if she didn't. Willy is too inclusivity meets workwear-rugged. These women don't want politics in their fashion because they don't want to ever confront or reconcile with how they get to enjoy their cushy lifestyle.

 

[jeanclaude]

I cant imagine being 58 hoping for my first big break.

16 Famous Late Bloomers: Writers and Artists - Susan Gabriel, Author of Southern Novels and More

Are you a late bloomer? Here's a list of 16 famous late bloomers who are writers and artists. Are there any you would add?

www.susangabriel.com

 

[Avonlea]

I don't like his work and find the idea of him at Fendi ridiculous, but his age really shouldn't be an issue. If anything, it's reassuring that you can have a big break in the later stages of your life. This obsession with youth and early success is unhealthy, especially when you consider the population aging in developed countries.

 

[Monsieur Cristobal]

I can totally see Mr Chavarria at Fendi if LVMH goes for one of these risky moves that can be a total flop (Justin O'Shea at Brioni) or a jackpot (Demna at Balenciaga).

The question is if LVMH wants to play this game with such an important and established house. It is not the same Fendi now and Balenciaga 10 years ago.

Aesthetically, Michelle Pfeiffer in Scarface could be an imaginary meeting point for both Fendi and Chavarria. That late seventies mafia glamour.

Anyways, it would be really unexpected, and maybe even exciting, but I don't think it will happen. It is too daring, and LVMH is more conservative in their creative strategies.

 

[Frederic01]

Did LVMH not learn anything from Matthew Williams at Givenchy? For goodness sake, Chavarria at Fendi will be a total flop and a Matthew Williams 2.0.

 

[Lola701]

Did LVMH not learn anything from Matthew Williams at Givenchy? For goodness sake, Chavarria at Fendi will be a total flop and a Matthew Williams 2.0.

Clearly they talked to a lot of people. I suspect Willy just shared the info…
I mean that info arriving not so long before his show….It will add some sort of excitement I guess.

It’s like Louis Vuitton. I remember all the people they talked to or made audition. Charaf Tajer pull that stunt too when he shared the info that Vuitton and Versace approached him.

 

[vetements]

i would not be surprised if the ex marni Risso guy is going to Fendi instead ...just a feeling based on my headhunter skills :-) lol

Please no, he just did Marni dirty and it is finally ending after 10 long years of noy buying any thing Marni and now Fendi? and of course, no Willy as well.

When everyone thinks that Fendi is finally going to claim its past glory after Kim, now we got this

 

[PDFSD]

Please no, he just did Marni dirty and it is finally ending after 10 long years of noy buying any thing Marni and now Fendi? and of course, no Willy as well.

When everyone thinks that Fendi is finally going to claim its past glory after Kim, now we got this

i agree but i would not be surprised LVMH likes a hype rebel (even if fake) boy toy.

he does happy creative and color and is italian and did 10 year at one place LVMH likes this type of track record

 

[LostInNJ]

What if this is simply a discussion for a collab and its been leaked to create a buzz (and based on the reactions here, hysteria)?