Anna

There has been a lot of fur on the catwalks this year from Jean Paul Gaultier to Dior. But the real leaders in this field are the fabulous Fendi.  Furs from fox to mink remain a controversial subject but the visit to Fendi really open your eyes up to the pure workmanship and detail that goes into these luxurious coats and accessories. 

Since the beginning when Fendi was founded in Rome it has been a fur and leather goods business and it has remained true to its heritage. Now with Karl Lagerfeld at the helm of the brand Fendi seem to be going from strength to strength and using new electro technologies to lead the way in fur. After trying out a number of coats ranging from €8000 to €120,000 (for an amazing gold coated fur jacket), we then moved onto the accessories. The latest achievement being the exclusive “Peekaboo” bag. The important thing to remember about luxury is that they market products for the elite for the rich and the famous where sometimes the price tag is meaningless to their core consumers.  To counteract this brands create a buzz and a lust after these products. This is why at Hermes you have to have been a loyal customer to have got your hands on the famous Birkin bag or you can expect a very long waiting list. Fendi understands that it is this elusiveness that turns their products into covetable status symbols.  So if you want a beautiful “Peekaboo” bag expect to be waiting at least a few months.  Overall I think this visit was a good insight into better understanding the luxury end of the market. The tour also told us a lot about the architecture and VM surrounding the store, for us the exterior windows really helped in our Barbour project, with the theme of creating a store concept around the idea of a manor house.

Sarah

More than excited at the prospect of visiting Fendi, it defiantly lived up to my expectations and more. The interior was beautiful with amazing architecture which definitely stood out from any store I had ever been to. It makes you really appreciate the detail put into every aspect of the visuals for the brand and highlighted how the visual merchandising in Italy is really on another level to that which can be seen in the UK. It was so elegant and well lit.

 As we were guided around the different departments the women began to explain that the architect who had designed the interior was Peter Marino who had aimed for the building’s interior to be in keeping with the Roman and Italian details of the outside and the streets of Rome. Also she explained that the stores around the rest of the world all replicate the same concept of that particular store. The textures and contrast really got my attention as they really created a special look. 

Running through the middle of the building was a beautiful original staircase which Marino had painted a metallic grey to fashion a contrast between antique and new. Also the most amazing chandelier which was 8 meters long, 70 years old and names the fountain of life was suspended from the ceiling. This rich architecture brilliantly combined old with new and showcased the garments beautifully.

As we got to the second floor we were shown the amazingly expensive fur coats and a woman explained how they were made. They explained how every seasons the brand strive for new energy and that innovation is key to Fendi. To our surprise they let us photograph everything and even try on the coats. As well they showed us the brand new design of their Peek-a-boo bag which they say consumers desire as it isn’t sold everywhere and have to be ordered 5 months in advance. The experience at Fendi was very interesting, learning all about how the clothes are made how their idea of luxury is created.

Natalie

During our stay in Rome, we were lucky enough to receive a guided tour of the Fendi store. At first glance, it was apparent that the original architecture had remained intact to create a very authentic exterior. The building, situated a short walk from the famous Spanish steps, stood out in its surroundings as a place of real stature and importance.

On entering the store we were greeted and shown around each room. We were given a very detailed and interesting explanation of the manufacturing process of a Fendi fur coat; it really surprised me how intricate and attentive the garments needed to be.

 Following the talk, we were given the opportunity to try a few of the fur coats on... this coat was made from lion fur and cost in the region of 60,000 euros! Some of the coats were made from even more valuable furs and varied in prices leading up to a staggering  180,000 euros. It was a real privilege to try on such luxurious products and the staff were all extremely friendly and happy to help.

I was amazed at the array of different fur stoles in the store, shown here on their display. The visual merchandising had all been designed to give the customer ease of access to the exclusive products on offer.

The interiors had all been designed to convey themes of luxury and wealth, and it was a fantastic experience – allowing me to further my understanding of a truly luxurious and high quality brand.