A bag is a bag is a bag. Or is it? Ever since the “It” bag revolution of the 90’s swept the entire fashion world by storm, no style-conscious woman ever looks at a bag anymore as just a place to stash her basic on-the-go essentials. More than practicality, a bag has to have excellent design, workmanship, and that oomph factor that instantly elevates the bearer to de la crème status. The more coveted and higher the waiting list for the bag, the better. But do you know which fashion house jump-started the “It” bag phenomenon?  It was the Italian brand Fendi, which in 1997 launched the now-famed Baguette. Since then especially, Fendi purses and accessories have ranked amongst the world’s most desired luxury products, favored by celebrities and every other couture-loving creature. 

 

        Currently, Fendi is owned by the LVMH group, home to the world’s most prestigious
and luxurious brands of fashion, accessories, fragrances, timepieces, jewellery, wines and spirits. Milestones reached by the introduction of both creative and business talents punctuate its 80-year history. The Fendi empire traces its roots to the bourgeois district of Via del Plebiscito, Rome in 1918 when Adele Casagrande opened a fur and leather workshop in Italy’s historic capital. When she married Edoardo Fendi in 1925, the shop’s name was changed to her husband’s last name.  Word about the shop’s exquisite products soon spread and the business prospered, prompting the couple to open another shop in Via Pave seven years later. Eventually, the couple’s eldest daughter, Paola, who was then only 15, worked for the company.  She was followed suit by her four equally talented sisters – Carla, Anna, Franca, and Alda. All have been actively involved in running Fendi since their father’s death in 1954 (Adele died in 1978). Today, each sister owns 20% of the company.

 

      Fendi’s rise to fame was catapulted by meister Karl Lagerfeld, who was signed in by the Fendi sisters as house designer in 1962. Lagerfeld was the architect behind Fendi’s innovative fur collection and the now iconic double F logo. He revolutionized fur wear when he restyled the usually stiff and heavy material into a lighter, more wearable version, which earned the nod of many weighed-down, fur-toting women. In 1969, Fendi staged its first-ever ready-to-wear fur collection, with designs so innovative it immediately put the brand at the forefront of fall and winter designer wear.  Through inventive techniques like varnishing, inlaying, and interweaving, fur suddenly came in unusual colors like apricot and pistachio; by perforating the fabric with tiny holes, real fur took on the feel of lighter, synthetic fur.

 

       Under Karl Lagerfeld’s hands, Fendi broke the barriers of fur wear production by using research and technology to make them more affordable without compromising design and quality. For instance, Lagerfeld ingeniously made fur take the feel of damask and other ornate fabrics and dressed it down with denim in his mink-lined denim jackets and coats (yes, that was a Fendi original). Today, Fendi is one of the very few brands with a full-range fur collection with designs that can only be described as dramatic and unorthodox. As to how this has impacted people in the anti-fur movement is another story. Just ask Naomi Campbell.

 

     Another Lagerfeld legacy is the double F griffe, a trademark perhaps more recognizable in Fendi purses and accessories. Commonly referred to as the “Zucca” print, the logo was created by Lagerfeld almost immediately after he joined the house in 1962. The logo appeared in its leather accessories line including gloves, handbags, and wallets. With Lagerfeld’s creative genius at the helm, it didn’t take long for Fendi to enter the American market starting at Bloomingdales and later followed by other high-end department stores. The brand grew to new heights in the 1970’s when it introduced fashionable ready-to-wear apparel such as coats, dresses, and jackets.  By the 1980’s, Fendi had firmly established its mark in luxury goods, even catering to the hipper, younger market with the launch of “Fendissime,” which is synonymous with posh sportswear and accessories. Today, Fendi’s signature double F logo is recognizable worldwide and its products sold in over 160 boutiques including the ones in Paris, Milan, London, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Sydney.

 

    While Fendi has since introduced other high-style lines like menswear, timepieces, pens, fragrances, and home furnishings, the brand remains synonymous to the original products who made it big – fur and, of course, leather goods. Fendi purses and accessories are famed for their fine, bubbly, and butter-soft leather base, which is cunningly imprinted, interwoven, dyed, and tanned. Coupled with exquisite design, impeccable embroidery, and artistic finishing touches, a Fendi handbag can easily define the look and bring to life the personality of its bearer. It is this marriage of excellent craftsmanship and cutting edge design that make Fendi’s line of bags and accessories one of the most coveted. 

     The most iconic of Fendi purses and accessories include the Baguette, Ostrik, Diavolo, and Biga bags. The Baguette, so-called because it tucks under the arm like a French baker’s bread, immediately drew countless of fans when it debuted in 1997. Hailed for its elegance and simplicity, each Baguette design is said to have it’s own personality and like many Fendi bags, changes every six months or so. More aptly called a purse because of its diminutive size, the Baguette found its way under many a celebrity’s arm and eventually became the first “It” bag, so to speak. The beautiful Ostrik and Diavolo followed and were spotted on the rich, famous, and stylish including the likes of Jennifer Lopez, Nicole Kidman, and Halle Berry. The glamorous Biga bags are exactly the opposite of the original minimalist Baguette; the Biga Mesh for instance, is a gold-, silver-, and Swarovski- latticed model that takes a group of Florentine artists six months to complete! Among the first few to be seen with the bag were Sarah Jessica Parker and Sharon Stone. Fendi fans trampled their way to get ahead on the waiting list as only 300 were to be produced. The Biga also comes in models like the python, kid, and lacquered leather, to name a few.

 

    Releasing different variants of the same Fendi bag became a powerful marketing tool for the brand since it drove fans to collect and amass them. For instance, the ubiquitous Fendi Spy -- favored by the younger set led by Hillary Duff and Jessica Simpson -- comes in models with an overwhelming range of colors, finishes, and designs. There’s the Fendi Honey, Ivory, Blue Lambskin, Gold and Silver, Wisteria Leather, Wisteria Velvet, Crackled Suede, Denim, Mink, Fur, Squirrel, Squirrel Denim, Crepe Satin, Embroidered, Beaded Canvass, and Matisse, to name some. And that’s just for the regular Fendi Spy. There is a Mini Spy, in case you didn’t know!

Much of Fendi’s strong presence in the luxury bags division can be attributed to the creativity of Silvia Venturini Fendi, who in 1996 became one of the brand’s creative directors and second only to Karl Lagerfeld. She created the phenomenal Baguette, which now has 600 versions.  The equally cultic Spy and B. bags, both Silvia’s creations followed the Baguette. She was also the one who launched the Selleria line, which is actually a revival of her late grandmother, Adele’s, line of saddler-crafted bags and travel luggage in the 1920’s. Each Selleria (meaning “finest leather upholstery”) design is handcrafted entirely by master saddlers and comes in a limited edition.

 

     Fendi’s renowned craftsmanship and design extend to other accessory lines like their range of sunglasses, wallets, belts, shoes and scarves. Their current accessories collection boasts both elegance and edge. Their sunglasses are named after their classic handbags, perhaps alluding to the sunglasses-handbag duo made popular in part by stylist to the stars, Rachel Zoe. Hence you have the Baguette, Spy, and Selleria Sunglasses.  Ditto their Fendi B. watches, named after the bag with the huge, unmistakable B-shaped buckle. Fendi’s timepieces come in sleek (such as the ceramic models) and sporty (like the high speed red analog and chronograph) designs. Their current line of shoes include gladiator heels, logo-ed flats and platforms, and bejewelled sandals, while their finest silk and pashmina scarf collection comes in simple yet elegant logo and floral designs.

 

    Fendi’s alluring qualities has won the hearts of many stylish and elegant women. There was a time when a product’s status was not merely associated with the celebrities who endorse them and even then, many famous women who knew style and flawless quality when they saw one already favored Fendi. Their exquisite fur coats were constantly seen on Claudia Cardinale, Monica Vitti, Paloma Picasso, Catherine Deneuve, and Diana Ross. Grace Kelly and Sofia Loren, on the other hand, patronized their handbags and luggage.

Women then and now love Fendi purses and accessories. Their following include celebrities, couture-loving smart and successful women, and the fashion-conscious young set. The brand’s fame and popularity stem from a winner combination of family-steeped history, impeccable craftsmanship, innovative design, and brilliant marketing tools.  An astute fashion observer would describe the Fendi line as vividly colored, masterfully- and wittingly-designed to make unique products for the most discerning taste. As one famous fashion critic would say, “Sharp and smart. Just the way I like it.”  Indeed, that is Fendi. 

 

Fendi Purses and Accessories are available at discount outlet prices. Whatever your designer style is you are sure to find that Fendi has almost any style of accessory that will add to your designer look. Getting the perfect accessories can make yout oufits stand out with classy looks whether going to the office or just a casual outing. Choose from Fendi handbags, mens Fendi shoes, womens Fendi shoes, Fendi sunglasses, Fendi wallets and all other Fendi accessories at Fendi Purse.