FENDI's Exhibition On 40 Years Of Iconic Hollywood Costumes Was A Lesson In Film History

The 92-year-old Italian fashion house of FENDI remains a family business today. Although the womenswear division is currently helmed by the German-born designer Karl Lagerfeld, menswear and accessories continue to be under the leadership of Silvia Venturini Fendi, a third-generation member of the family. Beyond the cycle of seasonal fashion shows, there is a wealth of clothing designed by the Fendi family bound by one common denominator—cinema. “Cinema has always been an important part of our family life,” explains Silvia Venturini Fendi, speaking of the brand’s alliance with the film industry. Federico Fellini, Italy’s most celebrated director, was a close friend of the family and often came by to talk cinema and films. “Thinking back to when we were teenagers, on Sunday afternoons we would enter the cinema for the first film and only leave after the last. It’s still a tradition of ours to watch films during family celebrations,” she adds. The city of Rome and Cinecittà Studios at the time of La Dolce Vita were the starting point of cinema, hence FENDI’s affinity. Over time, seminal collaborations with costume designers such as Piero Tosi, Milena Canonero, and Anna Shepard made the dialogue possible. And the family’s film repertoire is vast. Their costumes date back to the late Italian director, Luchino Visconti’s 1974 film, Conversation Piece. In the film, the protagonist, a self-indulgent countess played by Italian actor Silvana Mangano was dressed in FENDI’s fur jackets. “When my sisters were making the costumes for the film, I remember, I used to go to the atelier after school and a beautiful model would be trying on the clothes but the result lacked soul. When Silvana Mangano came and tried them on, everything changedóshe was naturally elegant, and she brought the clothes to life,” says Silvia when asked to recollect an iconic moment in FENDI’s film history.

FENDI for Die Another Day in 2002

Maddona in Evita 1996

Fashion plays a pivotal role in cinema, much like music. The styling of characters is crucial to the realisation of the role and delivering an emotional impact. That reverence has played out now, through a new exhibition entitled FENDI Studios, where the brand is revisiting some of its greatest cinematic hits, including one-of-a-kind plush fur pieces created for Gwyneth Paltrow in Wes Anderson’s The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), Madonna in Evita (1996), and, more recently, Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada (2006).

FENDI Studios

The brand has transformed its Roman headquarters into an all-immersive digital experience with five interactive sets where viewers can superimpose themselves onto the screen to become characters in iconic scenes. The experience culminates in a pop-up cinema, complete with a vintage Italian ticket kiosk that screens movies highlighting FENDI’s custom creations. “This exhibition is a way of celebrating in a very innovative way a relationship based on affinities and the challenge of creating objects and garments that describe characters and situations,” says Silvia. The exhibition finishes on a contemporary note with a documentary of the making of FENDI’s own production, Making Dreams: FENDI and the Cinema. “As part of the creative side of Rome, our family has always been involved in collaborations which today can be considered groundbreaking. We have worked alongside the greatest directors of yesterday and today and will continue to cherish our association for years to come,” concludes Silvia Venturini Fendi.