Opening on Nov. 30, FENDI chose the heart of the Miami Design District for its first flagship store in the United States — FENDI Casa. During Art Week, FENDI presented a series of projects collaborating with both professional and emerging designers. Inspired by the Modern Movement, FENDI Casa’s architecture harmoniously brings together the furniture designs located inside.
Founded in 1925, the House of FENDI was established by Eduardo and Adele Fendi. After opening the first FENDI boutique in Rome, shops selling handbags and fur creations followed. Today, FENDI is branded by its elegance, craftsmanship and innovative style.
Showcased in window displays all around FENDI Casa, the work of Vienna-based artist Lukas Gschwandtner is one of the many projects FENDI is presenting during Miami Art Week. The pieces are an interpretation of his case study series “Pillow Portraits.”
In the study, Gschwandter utilizes wearable canvas sculptures depicting women draped on furniture, alluding to the history of Ancient Rome, the city where FENDI was founded. Having studied leather craftsmanship in Vienna, Gschwandter used this prior knowledge when creating looks out of leather with traditional techniques.
He identified the canvas material as calico, a heavy woven textile made from unbleached cotton. This fabric is commonly used in the fashion industry to test patterns when constructing a garment after developing a design.
The “Pillow Portraits” are meant to take a model’s body and shape it to the piece of furniture it is designed for. The study of designs are reminiscent of distinguished fine art including Titian’s Venus of Urbino, Sleeping Ariadne and the reclining Roman Hadrianic sculpture.
Inside FENDI Casa, natural earth tones dominated the color palette. Modern designs echoed the modern architecture giving off welcoming auras to all who entered. Although the Modern Movement heavily influenced the pieces and overall displays, hints of retro designs inspired by the 1970s complimented each room. With displays ranging from bedrooms to dining sets, FENDI presented an array of high quality pieces designed to be appreciated.