With Milan Fashion Week well underway, the rumour mill has been especially busy in anticipation for a potential surprise collaboration between Versace and Fendi. According to the Business of Fashion, Donatella Versace is said to have been working with Silvia Venturini Fendi and Kim Jones on a collection that is expected to be unveiled on Sunday.
While speculation about a team-up between the two Italian brands have been making the rounds for months, it was the recent revelation of a cryptic invite sent to a small circle of fashion insiders that has sparked a renewed wave of rumours.
Signed by creative director and former owner Donatella Versace herself, the gold-and-white ‘save the date’ informed the recipient of an event on Sunday, September 26, near the end of Milan Fashion Week. As Versace’s runway show is slated to be on the 24th, two days earlier, many now presume this second, exclusive show will be where the collaborative collection is revealed.
Representatives for both Versace and Fendi have remained tight-lipped about the possibility of an upcoming show together.
Back in July, Kim Kardashian West fueled rumours when she posted a photo of herself alongside artistic director of Fendi womenswear Kim Jones and Donatella Versace, with the caption, ‘LEGENDS!!!’
If the collaboration is indeed announced on Sunday, it could signal the beginning of the new trend of inter-industry team-ups between major luxury brands, following the Gucci X Balenciaga collection in April this year. Although it has been increasingly the norm for prominent luxury houses to join forces with smaller labels or ones from a different industry altogether, Gucci and Balenciaga’s mash-up marked a new direction for future collaborations.
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While Versace’s scheduled fashion show will take place on the 24th, the Fendi Women’s Ready to Wear Spring/Summer 2022 show on Wednesday did not drop any hints about the possible collaboration.
Instead, Kim Jones in his first live show for Fendi, focused on presenting a collection heavy on high disco glamour. 70s silhouettes, metallic, fur coats, fringe dresses and cheerful, optimistic colours reigned on the runway as the show channelled the feel of the Studio 54 dancefloor.
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Photo: Versace and Fendi
