For Spring/Summer 2023, Kim Jones, Fendi’s artistic director, developed the codes he has worked to establish during his tenure at the brand, while drawing upon Fendi’s history and evolving its distinct language for now. Through his fresh perspective, the past becomes the future: Karl Lagerfeld’s work, from 1996 to 2002, offered the starting point for a collection that appears distinctly contemporary.

“It’s about continuity,” said Jones. “I am interested in looking at things that Karl has done, and seeing how we can develop them – both visually and technically.” This sentiment was embodied in a floral print drawn from the Fendi archives and a logo first introduced in 2000, which both anchored the collection in the past but reimagined by Kim Jones’ eye, propels Fendi into the future. 

The clothing loosely revolved around the turn of the millennium – in its collision between minimalist ease and pop-infused eclecticism. Floating layers of technical organza, or nylon jersey embellished with lacquered embroidery offered a new dimension to ethereality: at once sporty and delicate, effortless yet refined. Slouching cuts and elongated racerback silhouettes were imbued with insouciance; an obi belt, continued from the Autumn/Winter 2022 FENDI Couture collection, was integrated into tailoring to elevate its form and offer feminine structure.

A harmonious palette of neutrals was interrupted by bold pops of color: vibrant pinks, cornflower blues, and vivid greens. Fabrics came in organic textures, cashmere, shearling and leather, materialized through FendiI’s unparalleled savoir-faire. Sleek satins were hybridized with mesh and grounded by elevated tennis shoes or rubber platforms.

“At Fendi, I am constantly thinking about practicality as well as luxury,” said Jones. “Adding heavy hardware to something very soft both gives it real functionality and makes it interesting.” In jewelry, “we are working with the rigid and the soft,” notes Delfina Delettrez Fendi. “The logo almost disappears into functional architecture suspending each stone.” Throughout accessories, this sentiment shone: aPeekaboo, now sliced in half to reveal its mechanisms, became one of the season’s key accessories; elsewhere a steel F fell through the body of a bag to become its handle.

The house’s iconic bags were realized with the same spirit of duality which permeated the collection: high-shine leathers integrated alongside clean canvas, bold shades printed across natural hues; sometimes chained together, sometimes a pair simply clutched in one hand.

Discover all the looks below.