Two of the most iconic Italian fashion brands did a swap possibly more iconic than The Parent Trap. In the spirit of friendship and fashion Versace and Fendi traded creative directors for their Fendace fashion show.
There’s been many collaborations between fashion brands. Recently, in 2017 Louis Vuitton teamed up with Supreme, and even this year Telfar and Converse partnered up. However, no one has done anything quite like this.
From the beginning, Versace’s creative director Donatella Versace and Fendi’s creative director Kim Jones (alongside Silvia Venturini), made it clear that this wasn’t a collaboration.
“#Fendace is not a collaboration: it’s a unique moment in fashion, a disruptive and sincere celebration of Italian fashion with a capital F – and a capital V,” Fendi shared on their Instagram account.
The brands gave fans an exclusive behind-the-scenes look of moments leading up to the show with The Swap: The Journey to the Show. Showing the Fendi HQ in Rome 135 days before the show, Jones shared that the idea of him and Dontella working together had been bouncing around for a while. It also shows the pair later going to the Versace archives, a heaven on earth for any fashion lover. Working on her Fendi collection, Dontella praised the techniques used at Fendi and its unique history.
“It’s a first in the history of fashion: two designers having a true creative dialogue that stems from respect and friendship. It led to us swapping roles to create two collections,” Donatella Versace said. “I respect Kim and his work. I think he is one of the best, if not the best, of the new generation of designers.”
It was epic seeing the combination of staple symbols from these legendary brands. Like “melding the Fendi monogram with Versace’s Greek Key and Medusa,” shown on Versace’s Instagram page.
The collections were full of the energy and creativity we needed, while still staying true to the brand’s core aesthetics. Trophy totes, high-shine metallics, Versace’s noticeable safety pins, and Fendi’s take on textures. Of course, we can’t forget the revival of logomania. Logomania was such a huge trend, and they brought it back in a chic way. I loved how Jones elevated the Versace statement prints as well.
It was ultimately the jewelry and bags for me, every detail of the looks were perfect.
I loved both collections, but Jones nailed it — his take on Versace had to be my favorite of the two.
“Friends, idols, mentors…it’s the beauty of togetherness,” Jones said. “We wanted to do something that was optimistic and fun as we return to the live shows. We wanted to do it because we love each other.”
Donatella made Fendi fun again, with the colors, the textures, and the cool sneakers.
In celebration of “freedom, fun and friendship,” the creative directors shared their unique visions for each other’s iconic brands.
CF community member Matea Tomic, was unable to actually attend the show, but since she was in Milan she got to stand outside of it. “I thought it was a really interesting concept. I thought quite a few of the looks were absolutely amazing and the colors and the patterns were gorgeous,” she said.
“The collection’s importance to the history of fashion weeks was emphasized by the stars who walked its runway, such as the one-and-only Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell, Gigi Hadid, Adut Akech, and Emily Ratajkowski,” CF community member Julia Ahaesy said. From the chainmail slip dresses with a glittering combination of the F and V logos, to the romantic and royal gold detailing – Donatella, [Kim] Jones, and Silvia gave us everything we didn’t know we needed.”
I think it’s safe to say that this show is going to go down in history as one of the best fashion moments of its time. To see just how the pandemic has led to togetherness, even in the world of fashion, is a beautiful sight.
Let’s hope moving forward more creative directors and everyone else in the industry have the desire to work together and have fun — and do it in the name of fashion.
Featured photo via @dualipa
