Yesterday, Silvia Fendi sent an army of models down a sand-covered runway. They walked in a continuous loop and it very quickly became clear that this season was as much about nature as it was about a test of endurance for the Fendi man. “He knows that life is hard and isn’t afraid of the battle,” she explained after the presentation. There was definitely certain toughness this season. Workwear-inspired leather jackets ran alongside a series of fire red and desert yellow tones – each garment constructed in an effortless manner. 

Dazed Digital: I want to first start by talking about the context you have created this season, with all the sand…
Silvia Fendi: It’s 'industrial desert 'which I think is kind of contemporary. I was working on the winter collection where I was exploring the spring conditions and spring cold so this is an idea continuation since the [last] collection and the look - I want to re-create the look from a spring cold to a spring hit and so I was exploring the south of the world this time and I brought this sand. I had in mind the people that walk in the desert and the colours are really inspired by the earth so you have this terracotta, or this colour that’s like a mirror colour.

On to the clothes, they’re multi-functional and can be worn in winter but then you detach the sleeves and they can become summer clothes - also the leather is all perforated so the heat or the cold can come through. Also in the accessories there is this multi-functionality, your working bag can be folded and just inserted in the weekend bag so you can go from one extreme to the other basically.

DD: How would you describe the Fendi man this season?
Silvia Fendi: Well, there’s no frivolity here. He is a tough man that knows that life is hard and isn’t afraid of the battle, but he also loves nature.

DD: It also felt like a very relaxed collection, very easy...
Silvia Fendi: Yes, effortless.