"It all started with Delfina. I love the twist her fashionable and elegant style brings to Fendi."

- Kim Jones


FENDI, the luxury brand based in Rome, Italy, unveiled its Fall/Winter 2023-24 women's collection, created by Artistic Director Kim Jones, on February 22, 2023, at 2:00 PM (Italian time). In this collection, Kim Jones explores classicism and elegance through the lens of subtle disruption. Drawing inspiration from Delfina Delettrez Fendi's wardrobe and how she wears the Fendi archives to instinctively express herself, the collection plays with dualities: exploring and elevating deconstruction, interpolating gender archetypes, and disrupting ladylike sophistication. The pieces, while evoking the illusion of indifference, are in fact elegantly constructed and designed to be worn in any way.


Masculine tailoring and traditional fabrics are twisted to create feminine shapes, while utilitarian references such as boiler suits, aprons, and uniforms are present throughout. Lace is layered and lacquered, glimpses of lingerie and thigh-high lace-up boots offer a hint of fetishism. Streamlined mac coats reveal sequined linings, and bias-cut, draped dresses and Persian lamb bibs are adorned with harness straps.



Knitwear is neatly cut or slightly distorted, with a perfected punk perspective. Felted wools crinkle slightly, ribbed knits lend themselves to unbuttoned or angled silhouettes, and twisted, draped satin dresses feature romantically billowing scarves. "It's deconstructed, yet luxurious. It's a bit punk and reflects my love of DIY, but verging on chic," adds Kim Jones. "The first day Delfina walked into work, she was wearing blue and brown, and it suited her so well. I love the chic twist she brings to Fendi," he concludes.



Graphic motifs unearthed from the Fendi Autumn/Winter 1996 archives are seamlessly rendered in intarsia, while Karl Lagerfeld's 1981 sketches for multipurpose knitwear serve as inspiration for the shapes, reflecting the Maison's history in a new way.



The new FENDI Origami handbag was designed to be halfway between two distinct silhouettes, and through this shape Silvia Venturini Fendi pays homage to the Maison's multipurpose sensibility. "What's great is the movement of the bag, the way it combines two things. This duality is what makes it so Fendi: it appears simple, yet is actually very complex," she reflects. Similar characteristics can be seen in other styles, such as the reinvented "FENDI C'mon." "We created very pure pieces to match the sophistication of the collection," she adds.



The same spirit is evident in the jewellery designed by Delfina Delettrez Fendi. "We focused on the purity of the FF logo and how it rocks on your ears. Like the collection itself, it's very much at the heart of Fendi," she says.