In 1925, the house of FENDI is born with the establishment of the first handbag shop and fur workshop in Via del Plebiscito, Rome. The new FENDI business, led by the young couple Edoardo and Adele Fendi, immediately wins great acclaim for the quality of its products. For the Roman bourgeoisie, a trip to "Fendi at the Plebiscito" becomes a date with a certain prestige
In 1946, the five daughters of Edoardo and Adele begin working for the family business, each bringing new energy and ideas. The five sisters develop and propose new products for the leather goods and fur lines. A few years later, the Fendi sisters meet a young rising star making waves in the Paris design circuit: Karl Lagerfeld. In the hands of Lagerfeld, a fashion revolution takes place: the fur is changed, molded, redesigned and reinterpreted, becoming a fashionable, soft, light item of clothing. The materials also change, and skins that had been forgotten or neglected are used in production once again. At this time the "double F" is designed and becomes an all important feature.
In 1969 THE FENDI Handbag is transformed, offering new rules governing elegance and practicality, innovation and style. The answer to rigid Fendi handbags is the innovative creation of soft, unstructured bags. The leather is printed, woven, dyed and tanned to make it more soft and attractive and so begins the journey of a new generation of FENDI Handbags.
In approximately 1979 the Selleria, a handbag line made entirely by hand, is rediscovered. Originally created by Adele Fendi, it is re-offered with the same culture and the same techniques. Handbags, travel bags and small leather goods are made from cuoio fiore, hand-finished by master saddlers, in a limited edition series.
THE CREATIVITY OF SILVIA VENTURINI FENDI, the creative director of the house, leads to the FENDI Baguette in 1997. The success of the little bag to be carried under the arm, like the bread of the same name, is an immediate success. More than 600 versions, with different, unusual materials, quickly make it an essential accessory and a collectors item. This becomes a real phenomenon that, in only a few seasons, transforms this bag into a cult object. In the wake of the Baguette, Silvia Fendi follows with the creation of the Spy bag phenomenon in 2005 and the B Fendi bag in 2006.
IN 2005 FENDI celebrated its eightieth anniversary with the opening of the Palazzo FENDI in Rome. The new headquarters, in the heart of the city, hosts the brand's creative soul: the studios, fur atelier, and the largest FENDI boutique in the world.
ON OCTOBER 19th 2007, at sunset, Fendi was the protagonist of a unique world event: it was the first fashion house to stage a fashion show on the Great Wall of China. 88 models, 44 from China and 44 from around the world, for a catwalk of 88 meters, one of the longest ever (8 is considered a magical number in China).
