I consider the Baguette a manifesto of identity and individuality, because it is always the same but always different.
—Silvia Venturini Fendi
She grew up running through the Fendi Atelier. Decades later, she was running it. This International Women’s Day, we’re celebrating Silvia Venturini Fendi, the fashion phenomenon who carried her family’s legacy and had the whole world carrying it too.
A Fendi Family Affair
The year was 1925. Adele Casagrande started a local Roman boutique dedicated to fur and leather goods. The craftsmanship was so elite that it almost exclusively grabbed the attention of Italy’s elite. When she married Edoardo Fendi, the shop was renamed to reflect their union, and the Fendi brand was officially born.
The pair had five daughters, Paola, Anna, Franca, Carla, and Alda. They began to shape every segment of the brand, with each sister overseeing a different part, from business to atelier. Together, they learned how to balance continuity with change.
Italian fashion exploded after World War II; Titans like Gucci, Valentino, and Bulgari took the spotlight. Rome became a haute spot for Italian luxury and Hollywood glamour, with starlets like Audrey Hepburn and Elizabeth Taylor cementing accessories in fashion and film history. The Fendi sisters saw an opportunity to go from a small fur and leather goods house to a global fashion powerhouse.
They played their hand in 1965, bringing a bold, young designer by the name of Karl Lagerfeld into the Fendi fold. He was hired as a consultant to modernize the fur department, rising to the brand’s Artistic Director in 1977.
Like those before him, Lagerfeld honored Fendi’s past while shaking up the present. He took their famous furs and made them lighter, more colorful, and more modern. He sealed his vision with an FF print lining, short for Fun Furs. This was the birth of the Zucca monogram and a new era for the house.
Lessons with Lagerfeld
Running through the Fendi atelier where Karl Lagerfeld worked was a young Silvia Venturini Fendi, daughter of Anna, the sister who oversaw it. Silvia was born in August 1961. She was immersed in the world of fashion before she could talk. By the time she turned six, she walked her first Fendi runway show in a now-iconic equestrian-style outfit designed by Lagerfeld.
She learned by watching Lagerfeld work.
Karl taught me that time is the best judgment of creativity. I want to make clothes that people wear throughout their lives.
—Silvia Venturini Fendi
As Silvia grew up, she returned to the atelier not as a child of the house, but as a designer in her own right. In 1987, she launched Fendissime, a younger, non-conformist diffusion line. She used it to make Fendi feel gritty and relevant for a new generation. By 1992, her work was so undeniable that Lagerfeld brought her into the main house to act as his second-in-command for artistic direction.
Silvia Takes the Haute Seat
In 1994, Silvia was appointed the head of accessories and menswear at Fendi. It’s here that she began to sculpt the future of the brand and fashion itself. She was determined to carry her family’s legacy, marrying heritage with modernity like those before her. Even when LVMH took a majority stake in 2001, Silvia stayed on as the creative lead for accessories, keeping the brand’s Roman identity alive while the company went global.
Following the passing of Karl Lagerfeld in February 2019, Silvia finally stepped into the role of Artistic Director for the entire house, solo-designing the collections.
Silvia’s Roman Empire
But what exactly made her so iconic? Well, the things she made, of course.
Silvia’s creations embodied craftsmanship and culture. She changed the course of handbag history with the Fendi Baguette, designing what many consider to be the very first It Bag. By using couture-level details like intricate beading and rare embroidery on small, unconventional shapes, she broke the rules of 90s minimalism.
Let’s take a peek at three of her most coveted creations. Reissued season after season in every color and material imaginable, each one has become a Fendi classic in its own right.
The Fendi Baguette
Silvia designed the Fendi Baguette in 1997 as a direct response to the massive, minimalist bags that dominated the decade. She wanted something small and tactile, designed to be tucked under the arm like a loaf of French bread. How cheeky and chic!
The style took over, reshaping handbags as we know them. It was petite and playful compared to the other players of the time, and it was everywhere.
In 2000, the bag became a cultural legend when Carrie Bradshaw was robbed at gunpoint in an episode of Sex and the City. When the mugger called her Fendi Baguette a bag, Carrie corrected him: “It’s a Baguette!”
Before the Baguette, Silvia designed another luxury-diet staple: the Fendi Croissant. It had that same under-the-arm fit, but with a rounded, crescent shape that inspired Silvia’s next It Bag.
The Fendi Spy
Taking cues from the curved Fendi Croissant, the Spy snuck onto the scene in 2005, defining the Boho-Chic era. While the Baguette was slim and structured, the Spy was its rebellious, capacious cousin—a chunky hobo bag with a braided top handle.
True to its name, the Fendi Spy keeps its secrets close. It features hidden compartments for your most classified essentials, with a special slot for your lipstick in the handle—dare we call it the original Rhode Lip Case? Girls like the Olsen twins and Nicole Richie were seen everywhere with this slouchy sidekick.
The Fendi Peekaboo
Originally called the Hide and Seek, the Fendi Peekaboo was a response to the loud logomania of the early 2000s. It’s built on personality and precision.
I really wanted to create a bag that only a real leather goods maker like Fendi could possibly make.
—Silvia Venturini Fendi
Launched in 2008, the Peekaboo was almost logoless. It was quiet luxury, a Fendi IYKYK moment. But there was one giveaway: the inside. Designed to be left open, the lining peeks out to whisper “hello, luxury lover,” flashing a bright color or rich texture within.
Silvia’s Luxury Legacy
Silvia became the Honorary President of the house on October 1, 2025. She moved into this role to focus on Fendi’s heritage and craftsmanship after leading the brand through its centennial year. Maria Grazia Chiuri then stepped in as the Chief Creative Officer. Chiuri was no stranger to the house. In fact, she started her career there in 1989, working alongside Silvia.
Silvia’s touch never faded (and never will). In February 2026, Chiuri used her debut runway show to pay tribute to Silvia’s legacy. The collection was filled with remixes of Silvia’s most iconic work, including new (and familiar) versions of the Baguette, Spy, and Peekaboo.
From the hallways of the Fendi Atelier to the runways of Rome, Silvia has left a mark on the world of fashion. Carry a part of her story with FASHIONPHILE.
