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Kim Jones continues to be the king of collaborations. For the next chapter of the newly-coined Friends of Fendi series (past co-designed projects have included forays with Marc Jacobs, Versace, and SKIMS), the artistic director enlisted revered Italian designer Stefano Pilatti to put his stamp on things. Today, Fendi revealed the resulting collection, for Resort ’23/’24, announcing that it will be available to shop on October 26.
The endeavor had been rumored already, with Jones noting in a media alert that the former Yves Saint Laurent/ Ermenegildo Zegna designer is someone he “admires the most”—and maybe the writing was on the wall when Pilati sat front row at Jones’ Dior menswear show earlier this year. “I was always in love with his work and he is somebody I look up to —he has been an inspiration for what I do,” Jones continued in the statement.
The Milanese designer set out to explore the conversation between the womenswear and menswear sides of Fendi, but further investigating what is possible by going beyond the traditional boundaries of gendered tailoring and silhouettes. To personify this duality between the feminine and the boyish, Pilati invented a 1920s flapper-like character, reimagined through the lens of today. Gone are the codes of the jazz age, and in their place are drop waists, liberated plunging necklines, and a freedom to wear sharp, powerful tailoring regardless of who it “should” be for.
Similarly reflected in the lookbook’s casting—not least trans model Colin Jones, whose confident runway walk was continuously going viral during Fashion Month—the separation between fabrics and fit usually delegated to either menswear or womenswear tailoring is tossed out, with silk and leather for all, versatile shirting, and fluid lines, as well as a ‘basque’ bodice-like element featured in trousers.
Pilati, whose many resume highlights include inventing the YSL tribute sandal, is a dab-hand at accessories too. This time around, shoes such as a loafer with a kitten heel and ankle strap ballerinas are unisex, and the bags in the collection include the new Baguette Twist in color blocked smooth nappa leather, a new metallic logo Baguette, the new Boston 365 bag in hammered leather, and the dual pocketed Peekaboo, all in intense and classic colors inspired by Fendi’s Roman roots.
Discover the collection below:
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