Fendi does '70s retro futurism with a photochromic twist

By

Godfrey Deeny

Published
Jan 13, 2020

Miami police might be seriously reconsidering their extensive use of facial recognition technology, but here in Milan Fendi remains very much in love with high tech.

The Roman-based house climaxed its fall winter 2020 menswear show with its latest novel collaboration. A link up with the acclaimed Japanese designer Kunihiko Morinaga, founder of the Anrealage brand, who created four photo chromatic silhouettes - substantial matelassé coats, with matching mittens, bags and boots.
 
Each of the four models posed in the middle of an all-white runway, as two banks of UV lights slowly descended around them, changing the outfits' colors to reveal a white tiger quilting and yellow and white diamond patterns.

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An elaborate manner in which to finish an elaborate show, whose retro white plastic set recalled an era when Verner Panton and thermoplastic polymers were the height of cool.

 
The actual show was crammed with multiple examples of very covetable merchandise, and plenty of strong tailoring, whether impeccable inside-out blazers, or top coats made with detachable lower halves – one in particular made of three layers of mahogany, caramel and beige mink.
 
The houseʼs famed Peekaboo also enjoyed a masculine remake, from hard case versions for a weekend to softer monograms for an overnight stay. Though creative director Silvia Fendi Venturiniʼs most audacious ideas were gigantic one-meter square leather shopping bags in the houseʼs tradʼ canary yellow.
 
La Silvia covered most heads with hats, from mink bucket hats to a series of beanies in oatmeal cashmere or putty deerskin. And she also riffed on the current obsession with immense boots, again with neat humor, creating lug-soles made of Fendi tire-track logos.

The night before, the house feted the Milan catwalk weekend with a cocktail dance party in their Via Montenapoleone flagship, hosted by Silvia and CEO Serge Brunschwig. Remaking the Renaissance courtyard as a posh pop up to celebrate Solar Dream, its co-ed spring summer 2020 collection.
 
With the DJ waxing the stacks with techno-funk, Adèle Exarchopoulos; Niels Schneider; Iris Law; Dylan Sprouse; model Barbara Palvin; cool Aussie musician - and occasional Miley Cyrus date - Cody Simpson; artist Francesco Vezzoli; Luca Guadagnino – who directed the houseʼs latest menswear ad campaign; Delfina Delettrez Fendi; Leonetta Luciano Fendi and Nico Vascellari all made the scene.
 
Along with the brand’s key male customer – modern-day Chinese princelings by the score.