FENDI Couture S/S 2021
- Date 27 Jan. 2021
- Location Palais Brongniart, Paris, France
- Creative director Kim Jones
- Set design and show production BUREAU BETAK
Intentional Deviation
FENDI’s Couture S/S 2021 digital show (part 1) opens with a recorded reading of an extract from an essay Orlando (1928) by the British author Virginia Woolf. This intellectually stimulating show freely connects a variety of motifs. These plentiful allusions, as if passing through a windswept field, pursue a smooth trajectory of their own, bolstering the many inspiring feats showcased in this collection. A small purse in the shape of a book is held by the first model to emerge, followed by scenes from a novel by Virginia Woolf. The novel Orlando features the time-travel of a gender ambiguous protagonist, FENDI’s collection also draws no distinctions in its representation of gender.
The chambers of glass reached by models who have passed along the runway reveals the FENDI logo figure F when seen from above, and these chambers are ornamented with small gardens and patterned marble floors. The decorations across the floor have been adapted from Rome’s Galleria Borghese, evoking an impression of the places where Vanessa Bell, sister of Virginia Woolf and fellow member of Bloomsbury Group, would have painted, reminding the viewer once again of the decision made by a Roman fashion house to select a British designer for their collection.
The most eye-catching part of the FENDI digital fashion show is the screening of another video (part 2) which uses the same stage. The creative director Kim Jones divided the single show into two videos, differentiating between the ways in which the stage would be shown. In the first video, the stage emerges as a runway dedicated to realising the conventional compositions and postures of a typical fashion show, and in the second video, a variety of motifs have been applied beyond the function of ornamentation, curating a chapter as a constellation of narratives. At the same time, in the two videos, the entire stage is observed through a bird’s eye view. This perspective functions so as to highlight the FENDI’s world through repeated projections of its logo, extending beyond the collection existing as the objective of the show.
This stage was also featured in a show for a live audience at FENDI’s Shanghai fashion show on the 25th of March, featuring certain points which differ from the original show. While the onsite show reproduced most of the elements, apart from the mirrors used to choreograph the impression of endless space, the models were exhibited like mannequins, with about half of the number of collection pieces for an average year. This meant that the circulation pathways were extended, which more accurately speaking meant that the runway could have been half the length it was before. (written by Choi Moogyu / edited by Kim Yeram)