FENDI opens the doors of its new leather goods and shoes Factories in Italy

FENDI is delighted to announce its participation to Les Journées Particulières, a LVMH initiative taking place on October 14th, 15th, and 16th 2022 where 52 Maison will open their doors granting free access to exclusive and unique places usually closed to the public. For the occasion, FENDI will open and officially inaugurate its two newest poles of excellence: the FENDI Factory for leather goods in Capannuccia near Florence and the FENDI Factory shoe manufacture in Fermo, Marche together with the in-store Fur Atelier and FENDI Privé private Apartment in Palazzo FENDI Flagship Boutique in the heart of Rome.

The new FENDI Factories highlight the importance for the Roman luxury house to invest and bring up the values of Made in Italy while making craftsmanship attractive for future generations, as well as its commitment towards corporate social responsibility. Both poles are designed to be as environmentally neutral as possible, through initiatives such as making maximum use of natural daylight with part of the electricity generated from solar panels. Moreover, the FENDI Factory in Capannuccia, (Bagno a Ripoli) aims at the prestigious LEED Platinum certification. Covering a land surface of eight hectares, FENDI Factory occupies a 30,000-square-meter area formerly housing a Fornace Brunelleschi kiln.

The FENDI Factory in Capannuccia will feature a special a permanent photographic exhibition with the history of FENDI Factory and  focus on sustainability together with a special temporary set-up to pay homage to craftsmanship and artisanal excellence, showcasing the FENDI ‘hand in hand’ Baguette bags from the Emilia Romagna and Umbria regions from Wave 2 of the Project and Marche and Calabria from the Wave 1. The FENDI Baguette ‘hand in hand’ project is a grassroots partnership with local artisans across Italy, this unprecedented project showcases time-honoured skills of craftspeople across Italy whose specialities in applied arts continue FENDI’s long history of reinterpreting this iconic shape. In addition, the works of the DIS-CYCLING project - The seductive allure of creativity in sustainability, a collaboration between FENDI and Istituto Marangoni Firenze, together with New York based artist Sarah Coleman mentoring students from the Florentine school that have worked to recover materials previously used in the Maison’s window installations, will be showcased within the exhibition space at FENDI Factory in Capannuccia.

Rome’s Palazzo FENDI, located at the very centre of the eternal city, is the Maison’s flagship boutique designed to embody FENDI’s signature Roman codes such as Travertino marble. The Fur Atelier, located at the rear of the first floor, will be open to visits, showing the extraordinary handcraft behind bespoke fur pieces coming to life through the fur artisans’ hands together with a ready-to-wear and fur archive pieces exhibition. Leather goods artisans will work live from the boutique while creating a FENDI bag and a special set up will be dedicated to the FENDI ‘hand in hand’ Baguette bags from Basilicata and Marche regions from Wave 2 of the project. The exclusive FENDI Privé private Apartment overlooking Largo Goldoni and Via Condotti will also be open for the occasion.

In both Rome Palazzo FENDI and FENDI Factory in Capannuccia a new digital experience allows visitors through standalone monitors to discover the FENDI ‘hand in hand’ Baguette bags from Sicily and Molise through advanced 3D aware sensors and a highly playful, touchless interaction.

The new shoe factory in Fermo, in Marche region - renowned as the main district for shoes production in Italy-, spans over 7,000 square meters and includes a range of manufacturing areas, offices and warehouses. The building expresses the Maison’s dualism in combining artisanal savoir-faire and handcrafting with technological transformation, always with an eye towards environmental sustainability. A special FENDI archive shoe selection will be set up on this occasion for visitors to view.