The iconic FENDI Baguette celebrates Italian artisanal skills

FENDI celebrates Italian artisanal skills with an unmissable exhibition at the Palazzo della Civiltà in Rome: until November 28, 2021, twenty exclusive Baguettes born from the Maison’s extraordinary collaboration with 20 artisanal ateliers from each of the Italian regions are on display. Let’s find out more.

The FENDI Baguette interpreted by Italian artisans

The iconic FENDI Baguette, designed in 1997 by Silvia Venturini Fendi, Artistic Director of the Maison’s Accessories and Men’s line, has evolved over time, expressing the spirit of the collections that have followed since then. But it has maintained its unmistakable silhouette, inspired by the French bread that, like this bag, is traditionally carried under the arm. A true object of desire that FENDI has now reinterpreted with the aim of enhancing and making known the unique artisan knowledge that is the tradition and heritage of each Italian region.

Within the “hand in hand” project, the creativity of the Maison and the patient artistic work of the artisan ateliers involved have brought to life 20 bags, as many as the Italian regions, each made in only 20 pieces. Unique objects, true artistic masterpieces in which ancient manual skills and rare techniques merge. The project, presented in October 2020 but in constant evolution, also aims to create a solid network of relationships and to become a point of reference for the preservation and transmission of Italian crafts, creativity, and savoir-faire.

Among others, FENDI’s “hand in hand” project celebrates Tuscan leather goods, Abruzzese lace, Sardinian tapestry, Sicilian goldsmith’s art with corals, and the soprarizzo manual velvets of ancient Venetian tradition created by our Tessitura.

The FENDI Baguette bag in Bevilacqua soprarizzo velvet

We are proud of having represented the craftsmanship of the Veneto region with a Venetian interpretation of the iconic FENDI Baguette. We handcrafted on 18th-century looms the silk soprarizzo velvet that represented the most time-consuming creation of the “hand in hand” project: every millimeter of the velvet’s rich floral pattern inspired by the ancient Venetian repertoire is woven and cut with a complex technique that allows for only a few centimeters of fabric per day. Lined internally with powder pink silk, this Baguette evokes the spirit of Venice and the beauty of its colorful and sumptuous palaces. The bag is embellished with an FF buckle carved from jasper, lizard details and handle, and a woven and knotted satin shoulder strap. Like each of the bags in the project, it holds the name of our atelier printed on the inside pocket and the “FENDI hand in hand” logo in gold.

The “FENDI hand in hand” exhibition in Rome

The inauguration of the exhibition was attended by all the artisans who contributed with their work and, for our Tessitura, by Mr. Rodolfo Bevilacqua, President of Tessitura Bevilacqua, and Gloria D’Este, one of our weavers who made the soprarizzo velvet for this project.

The first twenty “FENDI hand in hand” Baguettes are on display until November 28, 2021, on the ground floor of the Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana in Rome. A station is dedicated to each one, where each precious Baguette bag is displayed among the materials and tools used to make it, giving a surprising physical and virtual experience. In fact, arranged around an installation of multimedia black tables, the exhibition simulates an immersion in each atelier. The LED screens with which the rooms are entirely covered reflect on the marble floors images of extraordinary patience and skill in which the artisans sketch designs, prepare materials, use ancient techniques and reveal the secrets of their ancestral art. The project has explored every Italian region, selecting the best Italian artisans and Silvia Venturini Fendi wishes to extend this to the whole world.

To visit the exhibition, which is open to the public, specific regulations apply and reservations are required. More information can be found at FENDI.com.

Photos credit: FENDI