“It’s a swap rather than a collaboration and, most of all, it is done out of friendship. It is the beauty of togetherness after time apart and a celebration of women who have inspired me so much.”
Kim Jones, Artistic Director Fendi Couture and Womenswear
“The campaign captures the same sense of friendship and fun I had when working on this project with Kim, Silvia and the team at Fendi. To me, Fendace will always mean love.”
Donatella Versace, Chief Creative Officer Versace
The car pulls-up, you step out. There’s distant music and people all around. You greet your friends with a flutter of air-kisses and walk straight to the front of the queue. What’s the passcode? Fendace, of course. Welcome to the exclusive Fendace nightclub—where fashion history is made, friendship is all-around, and there’s fun to be had. Fendace is a unique moment in fashion. It’s an exchange of roles and brand codes rather than a collaboration, with designers Kim Jones and Silvia Venturini Fendi bringing their perspective to Versace, and Donatella Versace recasting Fendi through her vision. In-keeping with this sense of creative freedom and the impulsive fashion show that first announced the coming together of Fendi and Versace last September, the Fendace advertising campaign shot by iconic photographer Steven Meisel captures a sense of fabulous fun and go-for-it flair together with dedicated videos from renowned filmmaker, Alec Maxwell.
Presented across two celebratory campaign videos, each sees a glamorous cast of supermodels—Adut Akech, Amar Akway, Anja Rubik, Anok Yai, Imaan Hammam, and Lina Zhang—entering the Fendace nightclub to let loose in their fabulously Fendace outfits—as long as they get past the fearsome bouncers on the door: none other than Naomi Campbell and Kristen McMenamy. Looks truly demonstrate the collection’s shared vision, as the Very Versace concept of more-is-more dressing comes together with Fendi’s considered approach to accessorizing and craftsmanship. Print and color is loud and emotive, and fun logoism is fully embraced. Embellishments gleam across gem-studded accessories and jew- elry which combine Fendi and Versace brand codes. Styles like the Fendace Peekaboo and Baguette—that combines the iconic Fendi bags silhouettes with Versace codes—and the Fendace La Medusa handbag—where the Fendi FF logo meets Versace’s Medusa—are a clear statement of the collection’s intent to create unique designs with respect for each fashion house at the core.
Campaign Credits
Campaign Creative Directors: Ronnie Cooke Newhouse, Karl Bolander
Photographer: Steven Meisel
Film Director: Alec Maxwell
