Fendi Teams With Luca Guadagnino to Celebrate Peekaboo Bag, Launches Petite and Micro Models
MILAN — Fendi has teamed with longtime friend of the house Luca Guadagnino once again to celebrate the brand’s signature Peekaboo bag through a short imaginative film.
In the video, British fashion model, actress and activist Adwoa Aboah is seen as a fashionable incarnation of superwoman, flying above Roman rooftops before landing on the steps of Fendi’s headquarters at the Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana, championing female empowerment and supernaturally charged with the power of the Peekaboo in a dreamlike fantasy, also underscoring the lightness of the accessory.
More from WWD
“I feel part of Fendi. I am very close friends with Fendi — as a brand for sure but, most importantly, as a friend of people who are pillars of the company,” said Guadagnino. “I feel a very deep connection with the brand — and my mother used to wear Fendi back in the ’70s and ’80s so the logo, the type of materials, the quality and the design of Fendi have always been part of my imagery. With the DNA of Fendi being Rome, we of course talked about Rome — but instead of being in Rome, being above Rome. We had this idea of levity — of the Peekaboo bag, at the center of the movie, being the magical driver behind Adwoa flying over the ancient city.”
The house’s artistic director of accessories and menswear Silvia Venturini Fendi explained that she wanted “to evoke the beauty of a vintage bag with a lock, but for the first time make it about the movement of the bag.”
She said that, for the brand, “lightness has always been so important. When you think of a Fendi coat, sometimes the inside is even more accurate and precise than the outside. Things are reversible. You can see it is Fendi because of the way it moves — because it is light, and it follows the body. With the Peekaboo, I really wanted to produce that idea in a bag. That’s why I selected a very soft leather, as the bag was shown open and inside you could reveal a different color of a very beautiful glove leather. It is a bag to be experienced: when you put your hands inside a Peekaboo, you can feel some of the softest leather in the world.”
“I think that carrying a Peekaboo says something about a very strong, powerful and empowered person who is not afraid to hide,” said Venturini Fendi, long a champion of strong and independent women. “It has its two compartments — one you can keep close to you and closed, and the other where you can choose to reveal something of yourself to the world.”
Artistic director of womenswear and couture Kim Jones concurred. “The Fendi woman is empowered: she is someone of her own making.”
image courtesy of Fendi
On April 7, Fendi will introduce the Peekaboo ISeeU Petite and the Peekaboo ISeeU Micro.
The Peekaboo ISeeU Petite features a double turn lock upper frame, and, to be worn crossbody, is crafted from padded napa leather. It is available in 12 bright tones, ranging from baby blue and violetta lilac to dark honey and mimosa yellow. There are also precious models in exotic leathers such as natural python, croco and lizard.
Similarly, the Peekaboo ISeeU Micro is offered in 10 colors and has a detachable metal handle for a bag charm use, together with an adjustable and removable shoulder strap, and a card holder on the inside, all expressing the skilled craftsmanship of the Fendi artisans.
image courtesy of Fendi
In June 2019, after working with the likes of Nico Vascellari, Reilly Hey and Sue Tilley, as well as her mentor Karl Lagerfeld, Venturini Fendi tapped Guadagnino for the role of Fendi guest designer. The “Call Me By Your Name” director designed a special print for Fendi’s men’s spring 2020 collection.
Guadagnino first teamed with the brand on a video for spring 2006. In 2007, they partnered to set up the First Sun production company, which produced the director’s acclaimed 2009 film “I Am Love,” starring Tilda Swinton.
Guadagnino, whose “Call Me By Your Name” received an Oscar nomination for Best Picture and one for Actor in a Leading Role for Timothée Chalamet’s interpretation, in 2012 founded the production company Frenesy Film specifically for taking on projects with major fashion brands, and he has directed or produced short films or commercials for, among others, and in addition to Fendi, Giorgio Armani, Ermenegildo Zegna, Salvatore Ferragamo, Sergio Rossi, Cartier, Pomellato and Valentino.
The Peekaboo was first launched in 2008 and Fendi has over the years highlighted it as a signature bag, marked by a dedicated communication. For example, in 2018 to celebrate its 10th anniversary, Fendi launched the #MeAndMyPeekaboo campaign with a video and images fronted by Venturini Fendi and her daughters Delfina Delettrez Fendi, artistic director of jewelry and Leonetta Luciano Fendi, followed a few months later by images and a video of Kris Jenner, her daughter Kim Kardashian and her granddaughter North West.
In 2020, Fendi allowed Chloe and Halle Bailey to have full creative freedom in styling, producing and fronting the new #MeAndMyPeekaboo series of videos and the company also launched the first ever worldwide video and image campaign in honor of the Peekaboo featuring actress and producer Zoey Deutch.
Sign up for WWD's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
Solve the daily Crossword
