So, that just happened. Donatella Versace, Silvia Venturini-Fendi and Kim Jones ended Milan Fashion Week with a bang, revealing the collaboration to end them all. In a groundbreaking fashion moment, the two storied houses switched roles, with Donatella Versace at the helm of Fendi and Silvia Venturini-Fendi and Kim Jones taking over Versace. Thus, Fendace was born.
Fendace is a disruptive collaboration and a celebration of Italian fashion in all its avant-garde glory, standing for freedom, fun and virtuosity and inspired by friendship and mutual professional respect. "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 these two collections," said Donatella, whose brother Gianni Versace was a close personal friend of late Fendi designer Karl Lagerfeld. The switch-up would not have been possible if it weren't for the trust, respect and admiration the designers have for one another - you wouldn't let just anyone dig through precious archives, would you? "Friends, idols, mentors… It’s the beauty of togetherness," explained Kim Jones, Artistic Director of Fendi Womenswear and Couture.
For Fendace, each designer was allowed access into the archives to spark inspiration and interpreted house codes through their own lens. At Versace, Kim Jones and Silvia Venturini-Fendi were inspired by nineties archives for menswear and womenswear, morphing the Fendi monogram and Versace Greek Key motif into reversible pieces oozing with Versace's unmistakable attitude and Fendi's expert craftsmanship. Meanwhile, Donatella showed her rebellious streak for Fendi, channelling punk rock with chain mail, safety pins, preppy separates and crystal-encrusted Fs.
To mark the momentous occasion, supermodels past and present and friends of the houses stormed the runway at the Versace Palazzo on Via Gesu. Kristen McMenamy, Naomi Campbell, Gigi Hadid, Dua Lipa, Amber Valletta, Kate Moss, and her daughter Lia Moss Hack, Adut Akech, Vittoria Ceretti, Shalom Harlow, Karen Elson, Emily Ratajkowski and Precious Lee are but a few famous faces chosen for the event.
