Who Owns Fendi? The History of the Fashion Brand

Fendi is a fashion label that is synonymous with luxury. 

The Italian brand is known for its daring handbags made with impeccable precision, not to mention its signature double "F" logo. Since its founding in 1925, the fashion house has been pushing forward toward innovation, all while keeping the collections inspiring and accessible.

Still run by the Fendi family — with LVMH assuming majority control in 2001 after acquiring Prada's stake (more on that below) — the brand is the same one that saw a young Karl Lagerfeld flourish as artistic director, which brought Fendi to the masses and showed customers how stunning and different certain materials can be. From its humble beginnings as a small leather and fur boutique in the heart of Rome to becoming a global fashion powerhouse, keep reading to learn more about Fendi's rich history.

How and Where Fendi Began

According to Fendi's official site, Adele and Edoardo Fendi created the fashion house in Rome in 1925. From its inception, Fendi has been known for its luxury and opulence. The brand began by making leather goods, which they're still famous for today. A family business from the beginning, with Adele and Edoardo's five daughters heavily involved with everything, from coming up with fresh new ideas to helping sell the designer goods.

When Edoardo died in 1954, Adele and her daughters carried on with the business, never wavering as a fashion house focused on innovation and beauty.

The Introduction of Karl Lagerfeld

In 1965, Fendi welcomed Lagerfeld to the brand. It was during Lagerfeld's tenure as creative director that the signature double "F" motif was created — which actually stands for Fun Furs, per LVMH's brand book — and that idea came from Lagerfeld himself.

While these days, many fashion houses, as well as InStyle, do not support the sale of fur, it was a hot commodity at the time. Lagerfeld pushed the brand forward into the fur market, making Fendi one of the most sought-after ateliers for fur goods. Rather than keeping fur simply for fur coats, Lagerfeld opted to use it for accessories, ready-to-wear designs, and anywhere else he could think of, making it more accessible to the brand's average customer and giving fur a whole new way of existing.

Lagerfeld also worked closely with the Fendi daughters — who were still heavily involved and influential in the Fendi brand at this point — to continue to innovate the brand's offerings. The designs became even more creative, and they began incorporating a lot of color, making Fendi pieces more unique and desirable. While fur had previously been a high-brow purchase, saved for the truly elite, the creative minds at Fendi were able to take "lower-quality" furs and rework them into something their customers wanted to buy, which allowed them to keep the prices more accessible.

Lagerfeld was at the helm of Fendi's ready-to-wear collection in 1977 and a line of shoes in 1978. It was also in the 1970s that Fendi rolled out various artisan collections to continuously expand the brand, always keeping leather goods and furs at the forefront.

The late designer died on Feb. 19, 2019. He continued collaborating with Fendi until his death, while serving as creative director at Chloe from 1966 to 1997 and Chanel for the latter part of his career. Lagerfeld also launched his own namesake label in 1984 during his time with Fendi. 

The Evolution of the Brand

Adele died in 1978, and with that came a shake-up for the brand. Each of her five daughters took over a piece of the fashion house, with Lagerfeld still at the creative helm. The brand continued to evolve and stay at the forefront of luxury fashion, constantly innovating yet staying true to its Italian roots.

The 1980s was game-changing for Fendi — it was the decade that saw the brand explode into boutiques all over the world. The fashion house designed uniforms for the Rome police department and rolled out men's and women's fragrances. The first U.S. store popped up on Fifth Avenue in New York City in the late 1980s, and the third generation of Fendi women started playing their role in the family business. These women helped create new pieces and further expand the business.

The Fendi Baguette

Perhaps the most well-known of all of Fendi's creations is the Fendi Baguette. The bag, created in the 1990s by Silvia Venturini Fendi, started a revolution in handbags for the fashion house. Celebrities, including Madonna, Naomi Campbell, and others, instantly snatched the bags up. The simple, chic bag came in various options and inspired more iconic Fendi creations that followed in subsequent years. The Baguette is still one of the brand's most beloved bags and one of the most commonly purchased items from the entire design portfolio.

The LVMH Takeover

In October 1999, LVMH Moet-Hennesy and Prada struck a joint deal to acquire 51 percent of Fendi, reported The New York Times, putting LVMH's chairman Bernard Arnault and Prada chairman Patrizio Bertelli in charge. However, despite the sale, management of the Fendi brand remained with the third-generation Fendi sisters, who own the other 49 percent. At the time, Arnault told The New York Times, "Fendi today is maybe like Gucci or Prada five years ago; we want to give this name the full potential. It is a very, very hot brand."

Fast forward to November 2001, and Prada and LVMH entered another sale agreement (via CNN). This time, Prada agreed to sell its 25.5 percent stake in Fendi to LVMH, giving LVMH full control of Fendi.

"This is a very positive strategic transaction and an excellent opportunity for LVMH, which takes control of the majority of a marque with significant development potential," said former LVMH chairman Yves Carcelle, who died in 2014, in a statement at the time.

The Introduction of Kim Jones

Fendi continued its rise through the years, always keeping the Fendi family in control and staying authentically Italian. The Fendi women each had a piece of control of the brand, with all of them keeping the brand's roots tied to the family and to Italy. Silvia Venturini Fendi, Adele and Edoardo's granddaughter, was the one to eventually take over the artistic direction of the accessories line (prompting her creation of the Baguette) and the menswear line, according to a 2023 profile featured in T: The New York Times Style Magazine. 

In 2020, though, Kim Jones joined Fendi as the artistic director of haute couture, ready-to-wear, and fur collections for women; it was his first foray into womenswear. Jones also remains the creative head of Dior menswear. 

Working in conjunction with the Fendi matriarchs, Jones is the first person outside the family to join the brand in a prominent role since Lagerfeld, to whom the Fendi family paid tribute in 2019 after his death in their fall couture show in Rome. Not only did the fashion house pay tribute to its roots in Rome, but the entire show was dedicated to Lagerfeld and his legacy with the Italian brand, reported The New York Times.

The collection featured the values Lagerfeld brought to the brand, including lightness and a sense of identity. 

"Karl used to say, 'Fendi is my Roman side,'" Silvia told The New York Times before the show. "It is impossible to do a show in such a place without paying homage to the setting and the city ... we decided we had to do it and dedicate this show to him. It was a way of showing we are a good, tight team and have learned so much from him."

The collection included 54 looks, one for each year Lagerfeld was with the brand and invoked the kind of magic he brought while artistic director. It was the perfect way to thank him for all he did for Fendi while continuing to move the brand forward into the future.

The Future of Fendi

Like many other fashion houses, Fendi has had goals to be even more sustainable, using recycled materials and aiming to create less waste. However, unlike Prada, which has vowed to go fur-free, Fendi does not plan to stop using it as a material.

In an interview with WWD, the head of image, communications, and environment at LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, Antoine Arnault, discussed the topic further.

"It is very important to tell the truth, and this is a sensitive topic," he said. "Of course, we'll do everything we need to do to be even more compliant to the [already] highest standards of certification. However, we should not be naïve. It's not that if a group like ours stops making fur, people will stop to buy fur, and I much prefer to sell fur to those clients, but fur done in the right way. I won't lie, yes, [the animals] die, but they are treated with the respect and humanity they deserve, and with the standards that we put in this work — it cannot be done better. I'd rather be the bad guy and to sell it to the customers when done the right way than to let others do it in horrible conditions and do their business like that. I know it's a difficult statement to hear, but I am ready to take the consequences."

Frequently Asked Questions

• Who owns Fendi?

  LVMH (Louis Vuitton and Moët Hennesy) and Prada acquired Fendi in 1999 for 51 percent. In 2001, Prada sold its 25.5 stake to LVMH, with LVMH assuming majority control. However, Fendi has remained in the family with the five third-generation Fendi sisters, Paola, Franca, Carla, Anna, and Alda, managing the brand and owning 49 percent.

• Are Fendi and Fenty the same?

  No. Fendi is a centuries-old luxury fashion house, whereas Fenty was Rihanna's luxury fashion brand launched by LVMH in 2018 and went on pause in 2021.

• Who are the current designers at Fendi?

  Silvia Venturini Fendi, the granddaughter of Adele Casagrande Fendi, heads up accessories and menswear at Fendi, while Kim Jones is artistic director of haute couture, ready-to-wear, and fur.

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