- AFP
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Italian label Fendi on Thursday paid tribute to
its late designer Karl Lagerfeld, who died in February after a half-century
helming the company, with a haute couture show at the ruins of the ancient
Temple of Venus and Roma.
The “Dawn of Romanity” collection showcased 54 outfits, one for each year
of Lagerfeld’s work with the Fendi label.
“The heart beats hard because the emotion is great to be here today without
him (Lagerfeld)” Fendi president Serge Brunswick told the 600 guests invited
to the special show in the hills of the Italian capital, with the famous
Colosseum as the backdrop.
German designer Lagerfeld launched Fendi’s ready-to-wear line in 1977 and
remained its artistic director until his death at the age of 85.
French luxury powerhouse LVMH, Fendi’s parent company, has pledged 2.5
million euros to clean and restore the remains of the temple, which was built
by the Emperor Hadrian in the second century BC and is thought to have been
the largest in the Roman Empire.
The events allowed Fendi to look back at its origins while opening the way
for its post-Karl life.
The collection, featuring lightly patterned silk trousers, geometric
interlacing of furs, a coat with marble-like details and lace skirts on models
sporting pageboy cuts, was created by Silvia Venturini Fendi, one of the
inheritors of the furrier and leather goods company founded by her
grandparents Edoardo and Adele in 1925.(AFP)
Photos: Tiziana Fabi / AFP
