5 Questions with Silvia Venturini Fendi
Above: Silvia Venturini Fendi at Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana, the brand’s headquarters in Rome.
We sat down with Silvia Venturini Fendi on the occasion of the second Fendi Casa flagship opening, in Miami’s bustling design district, to find out how the brand has developed such strong ties to the Magic City. As the local appetite for luxe furnishings becomes more and more refined, Fendi Casa is leveraging its years of successful showings at Design Miami to present an expanded collection that reflects a collaborative, dynamic spirit. And now it’s right at home.
ELLE DECOR: Congratulations on the store opening. What brings you to Miami?
Silvia Venturini Fendi: We opened the first Fendi Casa store in Milan this year, and it felt natural to be in Miami after that. I feel that Milan and Miami are really the design cities now. I’ve been coming to Miami and Design Miami since 2008, and I’ve witnessed a big change in the city—very big and very fast. And I’m proud to say we’ve been contributing to the creative community here.
ED: And there are a lot of pieces you’ve introduced into the collection that the brand has shown at Design Miami, correct?
SVF: That is the beauty of the project, because it started as a fair project with the first phase totally disconnected from, let’s say, marketing. For instance, Lukas Gschwandtner, at this year’s Design Miami booth, that work is very pure, and you can really see the freedom that he had—we say carta bianca. That is a project that involves design, fashion, and art, because it’s quite performative. Then, as it should be, Fendi Casa benefits from this. There is a second step where the designer can develop something for the collection. But things have to develop organically. It’s important to keep the sincerity; otherwise it becomes a formula that doesn’t work.
ED: Is that easier with furniture more so than with fashion?
SVF: Fashion today is also very open. I think there are some common roots. It’s aesthetic applied to functionality—a design that has to respond to a need. Which is something that happens when I design, for instance, a bag. At Fendi there is a sense of community that is very strong.
ED: What does the brand’s relationship with Design Miami look like now?
SVF: It’s a bond that gets tighter and tighter. I think this is a city that is so full of opportunity. It’s a city where things are still happening.
ED: How do you keep the vision aligned between the fashion and accessories lines and Fendi Casa?
SVF: I think [what we are doing] is very innate to what Fendi is. I imagine who this woman, our customer, is—where is she going, where does she live, what does she like, what does she eat? There’s a story around that person. I like to see a woman dressed in our collection who lives in a space that shows the same vibe. Fendi is a complete experience.
This conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity and length.
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