The Milan fashion week continued on Thursday against the background of a chair in the artistic cables of prestigious fashion houses. Including Fendi, who delighted with an anniversary show that was tribute to the roots, and Gucci, which is still in the crisis.
And the chair in the fashion world continues: On Wednesday, Jil Sander announced the farewell to the creative director: inside Lucie and Luke Meier. The fashion show on Wednesday morning was the last one for the couple after eight years at the design tip of the German brand, which belongs to the Italian OTB group of Renzo Rosso.
Wednesday, the second day of the fashion week, was also characterized by another important event that caused excitement in the background: the anniversary show for the 100th anniversary of Fendi, and the first fashion show after Kim Jones’s departure in October.
The rumor mill is boiling who will succeed, but in the meantime the house can rely on Silvia Venturini Fendi to take over the interim management: the granddaughter of the founders of the founders Edoardo Fendi and Adele Casagrande Fendi, which normally held the creative directorate of men’s collections and the women’s accessories, presented a collection of Roman fashion house celebrated.
The story of Fendi and his DNA was the focus of this project, in which almost 90 looks were presented. “I didn’t want to spend too much time to browse in the physical archives. For me, Fendi 100 stands more for my personal memories – real or imaginary – what Fendi was and what Fendi means today, ”said the designer.
Silvia Venturini Fendi emphasized the work of the studios in fur and leather creations: corrugated coats made of deer Schleather and turn-up wild leather, dazzling op-art coats that were not refined with a print but with soft geometric inlays. Trompe-l’œil for lambskin pieces that looked like nerz or fox, leather patchwork, quilted satin.
In the course of the collection, a crescendo of colors summarized the nuances of Rome in the twilight – laurel green and forest green, graphite, chocolate and petrol blue – up to the bright tones of its eternal sunsets in cinnamon and terracotta, bubblegum, scarlet red and powderrosa, for which the fashion house standing ovation received.
The calm in front of the storm
At Gucci, without Sabato de Sarno, whose creative directorate lasted two years before it was released in early February, a fashion show was staged that was much more inspired by the inheritance of the brand than by de Sarno’s manuscript. Colors, the double G logo, references to history with looks of the 70s and 90s, processing leather, as the fashion house loves it.
The mood was of course special because all teams welcomed the audience at the end of the show. The Roman fashion house has been in great difficulty for years: its owner, the French luxury group Kering, recorded a drop in profits in 2024, which was caused by the 23 percent drop in sales of its most important brand.
And with the arrival of De Sarno, almost 150 employees left Rome almost a year and a half ago to follow him in Milan. Their future is now uncertain.
“The management had promised twelve months of support, but after this period, in a city like Milan, where life is 30 to 40 percent more expensive than in Rome, without structural salary increases, many were forced,” complains Anita Ferri, trade union of the Filctem CGIL, at Gucci.
“Even now, fear is great, because all new creative director: Inside, your teams usually bring with you, and so the chair has affected other levels. We believe that this is the calm before the storm. “
In the case of Bottega Veneta, Matthieu Blazy’s departure was immediately accompanied by the announcement of the arrival of Louise Trotter. The Venetian house has therefore opted for another strategy: not to present on the catwalk this season to take time to hand over the relay. Trotter will present your first collection in September 2025.
This article previously appeared on fashionunited.fr and was used with the help of digital tools translated.
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