RUNWAY

Fendi and Versace Swap Designers

By The Rebag Team, Sep 27, 2021

Kim Jones and Donatella Versace swapped roles.

Two of Italy’s major fashion houses came together for Versace X Fendi, or Fendace. Codes switched, legendary supermodels walked the runway, and Kim Jones created a Fendi collection for Versace collection, while Donatella Versace lent her name to a Fendi collection.

What happens when two of Italy’s largest fashion dynasties swap designers? Fendace. Versace and Fendi joined forces for a Pre-Fall 2022 that was presented in Milan on September 26, 2021 during Milan Fashion Week. The partnership cements the friendship between the houses; Karl Lagerfeld, who helmed Fendi for several decades until his death in 2019, was close to the late Gianni Versace, while Silvia Venturini Fendi’s mother was best friends with the late designer.

Kim Jones designed a Versace by Fendi collection complete with the formers codes, like its opulent Baroque prints and safety pins. Jones also brought in a team of supermodels who included Kate Moss, Amber Valletta and Shalom Harlow to complete the show. Donatella Versace went next, showcasing Fendi by Versace, adding Versace’s signature sexiness through shorter skirts. Versace enlisted supermodels Naomi Campbell, Mariacarla Boscono, and Gigi Hadid.

“I love Donatella and I love Versace,” Jones told WWD. “I’ve always looked up to Donatella, and Versace is part of the culture I grew up in; it’s a cultural phenomenon. And when things in fashion become cultural, they last for a very long time and that’s very interesting. With Donatella, I don’t know a single person in the world that doesn’t know her and doesn’t fall in love with her when they meet her — that’s Donatella’s magic.”

“I watch everything around me, especially the new generation of designers, and there are a lot and not everyone is amazing, in my opinion, but some you can see, they jump out of the crowd, and the first one [to do so] was Kim,” said Versace to WWD. “They all have ideas, they see fashion in different ways from other generations, which is normal, but Kim has this background of luxury. He knows what luxury is, he knows how to make it young and accessible to younger crowds, which is not something I find in anybody else, honestly. Maybe there are [others], but I didn’t see them. Kim has a big heart and when he is friends with somebody, he gives everything.”

Fendi Peekaboos and Baguettes got injected with Versace’s safety pins, while a tote bag got a giant Fendi double F logo surrounded by Versace’s swirling prints. The move continues the trend in luxury partnerships after this spring’s Gucci and Balenciaga hack. The Fendi x Versace collections will be available starting in May exclusively at Fendi and Versace boutiques.

“Everybody is doing collaborations, but this is the brave thing to do, swapping,” Versace told WWD.