I was reading the financial report yesterday and the Fendi mentions were more muted. They were more about launches and shows rather its financial performance. Loewe performing well and Celine having a record year and always mentioned after LV and Dior.
I think they’re doing alright but it’s not out of the realm that they’re expecting Jones—a very commercial designer to deliver stellar results. My problem with him is that he just simply doesn’t know how dress and flatter a woman’s body.
It has always been that thing about Bernard Arnault’s Assemblées Générales that if he doesn’t mention the Big players, something is off…
We remember that for years he didn’t mentioned Marc Jacobs up until someone asked him the question and he delivered his now famous quote. I must say that his off-comments are generally quite funny.
I think Fendi is not growing at the same pace as the other houses. The brand is still desirable but no real hit collection, thankfully their historical bags are now timeless…
My problem with him is that he is not doing fashion. He doesn’t have a vision. He is Just going to the archives and improvise…
I always felt that Lagerfeld took the "Fun Fur" meaning he created in the monogram and harnessed it as pure experimentation. It isn't the most obvious identity as say Dior or Chanel, but it really broadens what you can do with some key through lines. I've personally always preferred his Fendi to Chanel most of the time because of how he used it as this really peculiar laboratory. Like a German Expressionist working with Italian Classicism. His collections actually felt, for the most part, fun and youthful in spirit without eliminating the mature clientele.
Kim is not, will not and can not do that. It all just feels so out of touch with the brand as he turns it into yet another merchandise powerhouse.
Fendi under Karl had an identity even if it was quite elusive at times because rooted in Roma, that idea of the Roman bourgeoisie, Art and culture….That are quite unknown and not obvious to understand to the mass or at least to market.
Beyond the fun furs with were always fun or at least bold either in terms of colors, fabrications or cuts, it has always been about real RTW, real clothes even with conceptual ideas but also that challenged the status quo of what Italian fashion was supposed to be.
Me personally I have more of his clothes at Fendi than at Chanel in my wardrobe. And it’s not just a question of price point, it was great RTW! I think in the spirit his Fendi became closer to his work for Chloe. A lot of colors, a lot of flou and a real impressive RTW.
Sylvia understood that thing about Art and culture and delivered great clothes. When you look at her only Couture collection, you have all the elements you had on Karl’s work with maybe a softer or simple hand. There’s fun furs, a sort of very bourgeois dressing sometimes, a lot of flou and sometimes layering of flou and of course, culture because of the marble.
I know she is not a superstar but really they needs to let her have the sole role at Fendi.
