Fendi, Versace co-design a womenswear collection

A picture of Kim Kardashian with Kim Jones and Donatella Versace either side of her had kicked up quite a stir last summer, raising plenty of questions. The answer was revealed at the end of Milan Fashion Week, as Fendi and Versace disclosed the content of their surprise collaboration, christened ‘Fendace’.

The event, which had been kept secret until the last minute, was held late in the evening in the courtyard of the historic Versace building in via del Gesù, in Milan’s central luxury district, where a small number of discerning guests were able to witness an extraordinary catwalk show, bringing together for the first time two of the most iconic labels in Italian fashion.

In the wake of the collaboration between Gucci and Balenciaga, two leading names owned by French group Kering, this time it was two labels owned by competing groups that teamed up to share their design perspective. Versace, the property of US group Capri Holdings, and Fendi, belonging to the LVMH stable.

They both created 25 looks, each wearing their partner's design hats: Silvia Venturini Fendi and Fendi’s creative director Kim Jones paid tribute to Versace, while Donatella Versace featured her own take on Fendi's style.

Together, they produced two collections that interpret each label's aesthetic from a fresh viewpoint: Versace by Fendi with a series of lavish outfits blending the double 'F' of Fendi’s monogram with Versace’s iconic Greek fret motif, and Fendi by Versace with a selection of mini dresses and micro skirts steeped in Versace’s rocker/punk vibe.

It was a memorable evening, since this exceptional show brought together a plethora of elite models, among them Naomi Campbell, Kristen McMenamy, Kate Moss with her daughter Lila Grace, Amber Valletta, Esther Cañadas, Kirsten Owen, Shalom Harlow, Gigi Hadid, Vittoria Ceretti, Mariacarla Boscono and Emily Ratajkowski. The two collections will be available in-store next May.

Fendi, Versace co-design a womenswear collection

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