LI FES T YLE D E S I G N E y e on t h e o b j e c t T HE ITA LIA N FA SHION LA BEL FENDI IS A LSO A FORCE IN EX PERIMENTA L DESIGN. Now in its 95th year, Fendi is known for its use of sumptuous materials like leather and fur, in particular thanks to KarlLagerfeld, who served as its creative director for more than half a century. In 1989 the Roman label branched out to homeware with Fendi Casa, an activity that the current creative director, Silvia Fendi, has expanded through a collaboration with the Design Miami fair. «I’ve always loved design and its strong connections with ashion,» she says. «In 2008 I met Ambra Meda when she had just launched Design Miami. We started attending, at frst as observers and later helping organize events.» Soon, the house began inviting designers to create specifc projects or the fair. «We give them a lot of freedom», Fendi reports. «The goal is not to sell their work, but to encourage experimentation and support the young design scene.» Moritz Waldemeyer, FormaFantasma, Maarten de Ceulaer, Dimore Studio, Cristina Celestino and Sabine Marcelis have all been eatured by the program. For Design Miami 2019, the duo designers Sarah Kueng and Lovis Caputo created a series of ten pieces evoking the lines of the Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana, Fendi’s head quarters since 2015. Today their collection, along with the previous projects, is on view at the Fendi Foundation in Rome. r- 17 2/A I R F R A N CE M A DA M E FENDI PHOTOS |