Fendi announces a collaboration with Stefano Pilati

Over the summer, Stefano Pilati experienced a new surge in popularity. After his surprise appearance in Louis Vuitton's mega-show, the attention of many insiders has returned to the founder of Random Identities, who formerly headed the ateliers of Saint Laurent and Zegna for numerous years, having worked alongside Giorgio Armani and Miuccia Prada as an assistant designer. Considered by many to be the man with the best wardrobe in Europe, Pilati has become a cult figure on Instagram both for his own looks that mix men's and women's clothes, and for the candid ingenuity of his communication (once, after posting selfies in the mirror wearing Random Identities looks, he accompanied them with the hastag #adv as if he were a paid influencer) and now he has collaborated with Kim Jones on Fendi's Resort 2024 coming next October 26.

For his Fendi Resort 2024, Pilati referenced the progressive eras of the 1920s and 1960s, two historical moments defined by struggles for women's emancipation. From the 1920s came the inspiration for flappers, the bob-cut women who drove cars and listened to jazz while claiming their independence and symbolized by silent film diva Louise Brooks. They were women who were seen as a threat to masculinity but today represent a symbol of liberation. Referring to their traditional look, Pilati filled the collection with dropped waists, bucket hats that nod to the 1920s bob cuts and headwear, décolleté heels with a strap reminiscent of Mary Jane's, loose shapes that wrap the body, and dresses whose bust and waist recall the classic robe de style but without the voluminous skirt. Particularly notable is the cut of the vaguely sloping jackets with rectangular lapels. In addition, Pilati has remade Fendi's "F" logo, incorporating it into prints and jacquards. Reference to fur, Fendi's origin, is evident in a shearling sweater and an elegant egg-shaped tweed "animalier" coat. Even the accessories were designed by him.