Fendi celebrates haute gamme workwear in new eco-friendly factory

A blend of haute gamme workwear, cunning craftsmanship and clever visual puns it was a sympathetic manner to unveil a collection, which riffed on the machinery and artisanal skills present in the plant.

 

“There is a great desire today for more transparency, so bringing people inside our factory to actually see how things are made and which materials we use seemed very right to me,” explained Silvia, in a garden party cocktail post show.

Staged on a runway that weaved in between sewing machines and CAD/CAM technology for micro-cutting leather, the show opened with fine linen work coats and warehouse dusters in rawhide. Many looks were finished with sturdy leather pouches, either for carpenters, plumbers, or gardeners. Every model carried a bag, and if not, they wore a pouch or an apron.

 

Silvia performed lots of witty visual puns – from leather rack bags to carry four recyclable coffee cups to a shaven mink coat in the same beige and white stripes as a knitted fur duster. 

 

For hot evenings almost a dozen shirts or kurtas in striped cotton or mat poplin, cut to mid skin; finished without sleeves; featuring wing collars. And even if the collection was inspired by workwear, silk shirts with prints of hammers, screwdrivers, spanners and pliers looked like great party looks. Though the commercial heart of the matter was the incredibly plush calfskin shirt jackets, saddle stitched reindeer blazers or a brilliant putty suede caftan on which was printed the exact measurements of a pattern cutter.

 

A garden with olive groves and scented plants is built on top of the factory, the better to conserve energy and blend into the surroundings. Throughout the factory are internal gardens, adding pretty vistas and guaranteeing more natural light for the crafts people inside.