Sylvia Venturini Fendi Decodes Fendi's SS'18 Menswear Collection For The Dapper Groom

An unlikely partnership was unveiled at Milan men’s fashion week, last year, as Sue Tilley—the “Big Sue” immortalised by Lucian Freud in his 1995 painting Benefits Supervisor Sleeping—joined forces with FENDI, one of Italy’s most elite fashion houses. Sylvia Venturini Fendi, the famed house’s creative director, commissioned Tilley to focus on “mundane, household objects”, a theme which echoed through the rest of FENDI’s SS’18 menswear collection, centred on mundanity not of the home but of the office. “I asked Sue to work on everyday objects, those objects that are normally on everyone’s desk like a telephone, a banana, and a lamp,” Venturini says, talking about blending fantasy and creativity into everyday aspects of one’s existence. The result of this collaboration produced some of the finest clothes, nailing the tricky-to-pin sweet spot between conventionally wearable and perversely covetable.

“The collection is a reflection of new opportunities, on big changes that are occurring in the job domain,” she tells us. “Everybody is talking about technology, Androids that are going to substitute manpower. But the things that I believe cannot be substituted are creativity, fantasy, vision, and dreams that are something connected to human beings,” she adds. There are high-waisted pants, cropped but with pleats: generous in volume but short in length. Deconstructed oversized suede jackets and mink coats are worn with ties and suspenders. “It’s a game of different volumes: if it’s big, it has to be short and, if it’s long, it has to be slim,” Venturini tells us, about the collection. Models can be seen wearing a mix of luxurified casualwear and emasculated corporate wear. FENDI has also launched the new “Peekaboo Fit”, a modern update on their classic “Peekaboo” briefcase. “There is also a bag that I like to call ‘From Monday to Friday’ which is a reversible tote made in nylon,” she tells us, mentioning the exciting new accessories that have been introduced this season. “One side of this bag is very functional with multiple pockets and on the other side is full of colours with Sue Tilly works of art on it: it changes according to your mood or to the moment,” she adds. Every FENDI piece is recognisable thanks to the finest craftsmanship and research behind it. “It’s all about constantly evolving and always following our DNA,” Venturini says, taking pride in her Italian and Roman tradition. With her updates on business dressing, and a new way of envisioning a suit, FENDI’s proposition for what a guy’s to wear in the modern world is compelling and much more forward-looking. But, primarily being a fur house, the brand stands tall, celebrating its heritage and remaining a longstanding temple of cool. Telling us about innovations in leather and fur, Venturini says, “At FENDI, savoir-faire and innovation have always been combined, as we love experimenting on anything, with every kind of material.” She adds, “It’s part of our DNA to experiment, to tell stories and to make dreams come true.”

Over the years, Venturini has continued to explore the history, origin, and identity of the brand through her collections because, in order to look towards the future, one needs to take cues from the past. “Keeping FENDI’s legacy alive is a great responsibility and challenge, but at the same time it’s incredibly stimulating,” she tells us. And just like that, FENDI SS’18 menswear collection is a perfect reminder of just how successfully Sylvia Venturini Fendi has managed to keep her family business humming well into its tenth decade. “At FENDI we say nothing is impossible, we are always striving for the next best thing to come,” she says. This is the type of relaxed glamour Italian designers capture so well, and the broad presence of which the house of FENDI is largely to thank for. We need to smile? We need surprise, joy, and wonder in our lives, and fashion can be a source of all? Sylvia Venturini answers, decisively as ever, with a resounding ‘yes’. Kudos to that.

All images: courtesy.