Silvia Venturini Fendi is stepping down as Fendi creative director

It wouldn’t be fashion week without at least one creative director announcement, so naturally within the space of 48 hours, there’s been two. Yesterday (September 27), Sunnei creative directors Loris Messina and Simone Rizzo bid farewell to the brand by selling themselves to the highest bidder (metaphorically) with an auction-cum-fashion show. This afternoon, another announcement has taken the industry by surprise – Silvia Venturini Fendi is stepping down as Fendi’s creative director. 

Today (September 29), the Italian house announced that “from October 1, Silvia Venturini Fendi is taking on the role of honorary president of the Roman house, following her distinguished creative tenure, which included her direction of the women’s collections during the brand’s centennial year.” In the same statement, the house outlined that this new role will include “supporting Fendi’s heritage” and promoting its values of craftsmanship across the globe. If things are sounding a little familiar, you’d be right in thinking so – Fendi’s new role echoes that of Donatella Versace, who transitioned to a “brand ambassador” role at Versace back in March.

The news comes just five days after the brand delivered its SS26 collection, bringing out the big guns with an all-star cast of models including Alex Consani, Paloma Elsesser, Anok Yai and Gabbriette, while the collection itself paid tribute to Fendi’s 100-year-old archive. Just last season, for AW25 the brand celebrated its centenary with a retrospective show and pretty major performance from Sean Paul too.

“These have been truly exciting years, a journey I have walked also in the name of my grandmother Adele, my mother Anna, and her sisters,” Fendi said in a statement alongside the announcement. “My heart turns to Karl [Lagerfeld], an extraordinary master who granted me the honor of working by his side, teaching me the art of sharing, a defining quality in my family’s history of women, while guiding me to nurture and protect my own creative vision so that I could then fly on my own.”

“What a wonderful journey it has been, not only creatively but also from a human perspective,” the statement continued. “First through my bond with Karl Lagerfeld, then with Kim Jones and last but not least with my fantastic team, which over the years has become part of my family.”

Born in Rome in 1961, Fendi is the daughter of Anna Fendi and granddaughter of house founders Adele and Edoardo Fendi. The third generation of the family to design for the brand, Fendi worked alongside Lagerfeld from 1992 to 2019, was head of the menswear and accessories lines from 1994, and recently took up the mantle of the women’s collection after Jones stepped down in October 2024. And as well as being part of fashion’s most enduring dynasty, Fendi is also credited with creating one of fashion’s most iconic handbags – the Fendi baguette in 1997.

Fendi is a heritage brand that has stayed strong for one hundred years, kept within the very family that founded it. As of yet, it is unannounced who will take the reins at the house – though a new creative appointment is expected in “due time”, according to the release. Historically, Fendi has found success when hiring outside of the family (Lagerfeld and Jones), so there’s a high chance the brand may be looking outwards. What’s more, with the backdrop of today’s fashion landscape, we can’t help but feel disappointed to lose another woman in a creative director role. While Fendi’s are some big boots to fill, with any luck, it will be a woman taking on the task.