100 years of Fendi: Wrapped

The year was 1925. Adele Casagrande Fendi received a gift from her husband, Edoardo. It featured an image of a squirrel, chosen as a symbol of her industrious nature and always-on-the-go attitude. A year later, the couple opened a handbag and fur boutique on Rome’s Via del Plebiscito, planting the roots of a family business that would grow into one of Italy’s most respected fashion houses; said squirrel went on to become the maison’s original logo.

Fendi, now synonymous with Roman elegance and technical ingenuity, celebrates its centenary this year. One hundred years since Fendi stitched her first Selleria bag—crafted in a naturally softgrained Cuoio Romano leather using techniques taught by Roman saddlers—the house continues to be shaped by its commitment to exceptional craftsmanship. Fendi’s reputation has always rested on its ability to work with materials, from fur to leather, in refined, often unexpected ways. To this day, this mastery of materials remains one of its defining qualities.

The brand’s earliest designs were practical and considered—bags intended for everyday use, fur coats tailored for the Roman winter. By the late 1940s, with the five Fendi daughters—Paola, Anna, Franca, Carla and Alda—joining the company, it began evolving its creative direction. Each sister brought different strengths. Alda and Paola, for example, were known as the fur specialists of the family, while Anna had a knack for leather and ready-to-wear. Together, they laid the groundwork for the house’s identity: collaborative, experimental and closely tied to its roots in Rome.

Origianl Fendi 1971 Astuccio coat (Photo: Fendi)

FF logo designed by Karl Lagerfeld (Photo: Fendi)

Fast-forward to 1965, and Karl Lagerfeld joined the house as creative director of fur. Four years later, Fendi presented its first ready-to-wear fur collection at the historic Sala Bianca of Palazzo Pitti in Florence. The show marked a turning point, establishing the maison at the forefront of innovation in the category. Working with the Fendi sisters, Lagerfeld introduced techniques rarely seen in fur design—shaving, pleating, dyeing, patching and inlaying—and challenged perceptions of what the material could be.

Along with his debut came the now-familiar FF monogram. Standing for “Fun Fur”, the logo was a fitting symbol of the wave of out of- the-box material innovations that he introduced. The 1971 Astuccio cape, for example, featured the Gheronato technique developed by Lagerfeld, in which thin, V-shaped strips of fur are sewn together to create bold geometric patterns. In 1982, the house introduced Unlined Inlay, a technique that involves overlapping pelts into an intricate lattice, resulting in fur coats that are unexpectedly light and flexible rather than restrictive and heavy. This technical innovation continued after Lagerfeld; for example, in 2021, Fendi furthered its mission to make fur garments as light as possible by introducing Flyweave, a combination of mink and silk organza ribbons arranged in a chevron pattern.

The first Fendi store on Rome’s Via del Plebiscito (Photo: Fendi)

The original Squirrel logo from 1925 (Photo: Fendi)

Original 1967 Colour Pequin jackets (Photo: Fendi)

Fur is Fendi, Fendi is Fur archive sketch by Karl Lagerfeld (Photo: Fendi)

The first Fendi ready-to-wear fur collection presented in 1969 (Photo: Fendi)

Fendi’s experimental approach with materials like fur extended beyond the runway. In 1986, Fendi and Lagerfeld collaborated on costumes for a performance of Carmen at the Arena di Verona, pairing fur with denim for the first time on the operatic stage. The idea—mixing a heritage material with something casual and contemporary—was characteristic of the house’s approach: deliberate, original and always led by craft.

Over time, Fendi’s fur and leather pieces have become recognisable not only for their design but also for their presence in cultural moments. Its designs have appeared prominently on some of the most recognisable on-screen characters, fromGwyneth Paltrow in The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) and Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Pradam (2006) to Sarah Jessica Parker in Sex and the City.

World of Fendi 2025 re-edition Embroidery coat (Photo: Fendi)

World of Fendi 2025 Selleria coats (Photo: Fendi)

The World of Fendi 2025 pays tribute to a century of unparalleled craftsmanship and creativity, featuring by-appointment activations in cities including Rome, Seoul, Hong Kong and Miami. The programme offers clients a closer look at the maison’s design and craftsmanship with an exclusive exploration of Fendi’s savoir-faire in fur, leather goods and high jewellery.

Ten archival designs in both bags and furs will be reinterpreted—one for each decade of the house’s history. As well as the famed Astuccio cape and pieces created using the Unlined Inlay technique, legendary items that will be revisited include: the 1967 Colour Pequin, a bomber jacket originally crafted with beaver fur and leather inserts; the 1979 Nido d’Ape, which featured an unlined, honeycomb construction that resulted in fur that drapes effortlessly like knitwear; and the 1997 Embroidery cape, with its floral motifs embroidered into shaved mink, a piece that captivated millions when it debuted on Italian television. These pieces reflect not only technical finesse but also Fendi’s ability to evolve tradition while keeping its focus on material intact.

Eaux d’Artifice centennial necklace (Photo: Fendi)

Astuccio fur tablet (Photo: Fendi)

The maison’s approach to leather has followed a similar arc. After the foundational Selleria line, introduced in 1925, more celebrated bag silhouettes followed. The Baguette was introduced in 1997 by Silvia Venturini Fendi, the maison’s current artistic director of accessories and menswear; the throw-over-the-shoulder shape became one of the defining accessories of the late 1990s for both its compactness and its versatility. In 2008, she introduced the Peekaboo, with a pared-back structure and an interior often lined in contrasting or unexpected textures.

As part of the centennial, ten historical Fendi bags will be reissued—among them, the 1925 Adele doctor’s bag and the 1980s La Pasta clutch, inspired by Roman markets and finished with pastashaped metal hardware. Presented in crocodile leather in soft tonal shades drawn from the maison’s Pergamena palette, they serve as markers of Fendi’s evolving language of tactility.

The family’s legacy is carried forward in the form of jewelleryby the artistic director of jewellery Delfina Delettrez Fendi. Her Eaux d’Artifice 2025 high jewellery collection draws on Roman classical architecture such as ancient fountains for inspiration. The crown jewel of the collection is the Eaux d’Artifice centennial necklace. Dotted alongside a shimmering 20.25 carat Fancy Vivid Flawless Yellow diamond is a waterfall of 100 pear-shaped yellow diamonds that serve as a glittering ode to each year of the maison’s history.

Whatever the second century holds for Fendi, we know one thing is certain: family, material, craft and innovation come first.