“Workmanship is such an important part of our iconography and the Selleria embodies this. It is part of our Roman roots with its relationship to the master saddlers of the city. Discretion matters and workmanship does not necessarily require a typical logo; it’s a FENDI signature, it’s part of our handwriting.” Silvia Venturini Fendi, FENDI Artistic Director of Accessories and Menswear.
“You take something from the past, work with it and celebrate it. There is a malleability to history – it is something that you make your own. The Selleria is fundamental to FENDI history and yet it always looks modern, always now; it connects the past to the present and the future.” Kim Jones, FENDI Artistic Director of Couture and Womenswear.
In the Women’s Spring/Summer 2024 collection, FENDI’s past is made present in recurring codes and motifs that stretch back to the beginnings of the House. The linking thread of the Selleria saddle stitch ties all categories of the present collection together and back to the past of its fashion and leather goods. From its initial inspiration and creation by Roman master saddlers, the FENDI Selleria 1925 finds form in leather handbags and garments to eventually metamorphose into metal thread hardware on shoes and is reiterated in the FENDI Filo jewellery by Delfina Delettrez Fendi, FENDI Artistic Director of Jewellery.
Instigated by FENDI founder, Adele Fendi – Silvia Venturini Fendi’s grandmother – the Selleria was one of her initial projects for the leather goods of the House. Determined to work with Rome’s Master Saddlers in an unconventional way, Adele Fendi realised this wish with the Selleria’s original incarnation almost a century ago. Utilising handcrafting passed down through generations, manually stitched wax thread and distinctly grained Cuoio Romano leather, the Selleria then differs little from the Selleria now.
In the current collection, the wax thread saddle stitch is replaced by its thicker, leather tone-on-tone variation, yet it is now applied beyond iconic leather handbags to leather clothing and detailing in the ready-to-wear collection. It also finds form in a new abstract, metal incarnation on the heels of shoes or encircling anklets, and in the ‘FENDI handwriting’ of the FENDI Filo jewellery with statement earcuffs and bracelets.
In Silvia Venturini Fendi’s bags, the Selleria’s Cuoio Romano leather, saddle stitching and savoir-faire find their home in the iconic Peekaboo and Baguette and in the new Mini Fendessence hobo bag. In a striking palette that reflects the colours of the clothing collection, the Selleria can be found in a full rainbow of colours, including blue, yellow, vermilion red and House browns, all in the soft, grained sumptuousness of its characteristic leather together with the rigour of its handcrafted construction.
“We are exploring the ‘pillars’ of our house as we approach the centenary in 2025 – the Selleria is one of the most important. It shows the roots of the house with leather goods, the importance of craft, with the prominence of the saddle stitch on bags and clothing. In many ways, it shows what we are and who we are.” Silvia Venturini Fendi, FENDI Artistic Director of Accessories and Menswear.
