Fendace, is that a hushed-up designer label that only industry insiders know of? The answer is no. It is, of course, the brainchild of Donatella Versace, Silvia Venturini Fendi and Kim Jones, and, arguably, the pinnacle of fashion collaborations (just don’t call it that). It’s not Fendi x Versace, or Versace x Fendi – it’s simply Fendace. And don’t you forget it.
“It’s a swap rather than a collaboration and, most of all, it is done out of friendship,” says Kim Jones, Artistic Director Fendi Couture and Womenswear. “It is the beauty of togetherness after time apart and a celebration of women who have inspired me so much.”
First shown in a supermodel-studded secret show during Milan Fashion Week last September, the mood was set when the first Fendace heel hit the perspex runway: it was a sizzling return to the nightclub. “Way 2 Sexy” by Drake, Future and Young Thug blasted while Kate Moss, Amber Valletta, Naomi Campbell, Kirsten McMenamy, Gigi Hadid and co paid homage to the party-dwelling It-girl.
It’s not a collaboration, it’s a dazzling amalgamation of some of fashion’s most iconic brand codes, reimagining classic silhouettes from both houses. Think Versace chainmail and a medusa motif on a nano Fendi baguette bag, and slick Fendi LBDs stitched together with Versace safety pins. Launching globally in a series of pop-ups, the collections will also be available from the brands’ online stores.
