Rawan Mahdi for FENDI Fur: When High Craftsmanship Meets Infinite Lightness

The luxury fashion house FENDI has revolutionized the fur world, where many creative elements such as expertise, craftsmanship and ingenuity combine to achieve impressive results.

Since 1925, constant bold experimentation has guided FENDI's creations. The know-how of the Maison's fur workshop meets exceptional materials to produce iconic fur pieces.

FENDI's fur-making techniques are world-renowned. They are the result of nearly ninety years of research, innovation, and an unwavering look to the future all while preserving the Maison's tradition. Beautiful young actress Rawan Mahdi wore charming pieces from FENDI during a special FENDI photo shoot.

FENDI Fur's story

The dream began in 1925 when Adele Casagrande married Eduardo FENDI and they decided to start a small business focused on leather goods and furs. In 1926, they jointly opened the first FENDI workshop on Via del Plebiscito in Rome, with immediate success.

Starting this decade, FENDI's five sisters, Paula, Franca, Carla, Anna and Alda, began working. Karl Lagerfeld likened them to the fingers of one hand, as he used to contact them. Work in the family began and the sisters continued to create new models and use new technologies to make revolutionary changes in the fur industry.

The five sisters felt it was time for a change and decided to hire a promising new designer named Karl Lagerfeld. It marked the beginning of the longest ever collaboration between the Maison FENDI and its famous designer.

With Karl Lagerfeld who started a revolution in the fur industry that resonated globally, fur has become lighter and more fashionable. For 60 years now, FENDI has been telling the love story between women and fur.

In the sixties, when Karl joined FENDI, fur was confined to bourgeois society. It was seen as a symbol of luxury, femininity and opulence, weighing heavily on the wearer.

Karl joined FENDI with the aim of changing people's perception of fur. As people got closer to fur, it came to be seen as a high-end adaptable material, through a different and bolder workmanship. Fur has since become fashionable and constantly changing.

Under the guidance of Karl and the Five Sisters, FENDI began designing lighter, unlined furs that are easier to wear, igniting the fur revolution that FENDI continues to pursue today.

Karl Lagerfeld was a visionary and pioneer in his field. Through his collaboration of more than 50 years, he produced an unprecedented legacy and pioneering design in fur art.

In 1965 Karl Lagerfeld designed the FF logo of the Maison with the initials "F" in a double inverted version symbolizing "Fun Furs". He is the author of the saying "FENDI is fur and fur is FENDI". In 1967 FENDI's first fur commercial, baby Sylvia starred in FENDI's first fur advertising campaign. In 1985 FENDI developed its work in furs based on Karl Lagerfeld's vision of the FENDI Fur Revolution, and sketches were made for the 1985 FENDI Fur Exhibition. In 1993, Karl Lagerfeld's vision for fur innovation crystallized uniquely ahead of his time, with the "travel" line. For the first time, fur became convertible, packageable and double-faced. It can be worn on the mink side or on the inner side of leather, depending on the occasions of use. In 1999, FENDI once again broke the boundaries of creativity when the brand introduce the "Cioccolatino" craftmanship. These fur creations come with a metallic effect on the inner side.

In 2000 , as part of FENDI's fur tradition, lining industry remained contemporary while techniques continue to evolve. It consists of combining pieces of different materials, shapes and colors according to a specific desired pattern.

Over the years this technique has been applied to different sizes and colors of fur to create a three-dimensional effect and possible fur shapes.

In the 2000s, vision reached its maximum expression and FENDI's fur became elaborate and colorful pieces of art.

For the first time, FENDI transformed a fur coat into a real piece of jewelry using a "fur metallization" technology that allows 24-carat gold to bond fur through molecular transfer.

FENDI made its debut with its first collection "Haute Fourrure" at the Champs-Elysées theater in Paris in 2015.

From this moment, every year during Haute Couture Week, FENDI presents its iconic pieces of exquisite.

Starting in July 2018, Haute Fourrure was launched.

It is called FENDI Couture because there is not only a set of fur garments available, but they also resemble fur and are made preciously.

Karl Lagerfeld died in 2019 and left FENDI with a strong and timeless legacy.

A new bright light came with Kim Jones joining the FENDI family.

From September 2020 Kim Jones was appointed to his new position, through which he began a new era.

In 1965, Karl Lagerfeld revolutionized the fur world. 55 years later, his heir, Kim Jones, began his own revolution, developing his vision to make FENDI test and challenge the boundaries of the Maison.

He carried out new experiments using sustainable materials and unexpected textures, without forgetting the Maison's roots and the vast amount of expertise gathered in it.

Kim Jones has a creative spirit that has propelled the Maison to stand out worldwide.

Fur is still a symbol of extreme luxury, but with Kim, it has been reinterpreted in a new and contemporary way as the most luxurious piece within the collection. Through his lenses, FENDI's expertise in fur industry is evidenced by an innovative vision, where research and experimentation always continue at the center.

Introducing his first ready-to-wear collection 2021, Kim Jones revealed the path he intended to take with a FENDI, a path focused on sustainability and the search for new crafts and materials.

Today, after years of experience and creativity, Maison FENDI offers a "bespoke craft" service that allows FENDI clients to choose tailor-made fur pieces.

The Maison offers a wide range of shapes, colors and manufacturing techniques that fulfill the dream of clients in collaboration with experts, to design their own pieces, and create a unique product of elegant fur!

Endless combinations of colors and techniques are offered, to create a unique masterpiece designed according to the wishes of the client.

Bespoke manufacturing is available at FENDI stores in The Avenues Mall.