For generations, alliteration and irony have been keystones of the Fendi lexicon. From 1950s window dressings —that proclaimed ‘DiFendi’ above rain umbrellas on the Via Piave — to the FF logo’s origins as ‘fun fur’, the Roman house is no stranger to humour and more than a touch of insanity. It’s a tendency that Silvia Venturini Fendi, the third generation creative director of menswear and accessories, has expounded of late. Through a series of off-kilter capsule collections and runway collaborations, Venturini Fendi has dabbled in everything from the trompe l’oeil shadow play of California artist Joshua Vides to the collaged stylings of anon Instagram phenomenon @heyreilly, design world darling John Booth‘s naive word art and Lucien Freud muse Sue Tilley‘s paintings of domestic detritus. There’s a sophisticated game of high-low at play here, with a willingness to break the mould of contemporary art star partnerships explored elsewhere in fashion, re-configuring the art/fashion see-saw to include indie protagonists from outside the traditional system.
For the Fendi Men’s AW2021-22 show, Venturini Fendi’s latest collusion with the artistic underground was spurred on by Fendi’s menswear stylist Julian Ganio, who introduced her to the comic stylings of Noel Fielding, the London-based multi-hyphenate actor, musician, TV host and visual artist. Known for his decidedly north London brand of British humour, Fielding is the co-creator and star of The Mighty Boosh, a cult tv show centred around his comedy troupe of the same name whose absurd, Surrealist sensibility held significant sway over the Noughties indie set. Later, his prog-rock, post-punk musical stylings and zany presence as co-host of The Great British Bake Off has seen Fielding’s personal brand of psychedelia find new audiences, just as his art practice has evolved from the makeup and costume designs of The Might Boosh to return to the painting and illustration he favoured as a student at Croydon Art School under the tutelage of British painter Dexter Dalwood. Championed by London gallerist Tania Wade, Fielding’s career has flourished in both alternative and established circles, with exhibitions at the Soho institution Maison Berthaux (a 19th century tea room cum art gallery) and pieces shown at Saatchi Gallery in Chelsea.
In conversation with Dan Thawley, Fielding discusses his Fendi commission: a luxurious departure that has seen his crayon works on paper come to life in rich satin jacquards, intarsia shearling, painted leathers and embroidered knits for Autumn Winter 2021-22.