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After more than four decades, the Italian luxury fashion house, FENDI, appoints a new creative director of haute couture, ready-to-wear, and fur women’s wear. The former family-owned enterprise, and now a subsidiary of LVMH, a multinational corporation and conglomerate specializing in luxury goods, informed that Kim Jones would be succeeding the late Karl Lagerfeld at the company while keeping his duties as the artistic director of Dior Homme.
Lagerfield joined Fendi in 1965, and in 1977 he became the creative director of womenswear until his passing in 2019 due to complications of pancreatic cancer. Jones will continue with the iconic designs and launch his first Fendi collection during the fall-winter 2021-2022 fashion week in February.
“FENDI is pleased to announce the appointment of Kim Jones as Artistic Director of haute couture, ready-to-wear and fur collections for women,” the globally known Maison headquartered in Rome announced through their website. ”Silvia Venturini Fendi will continue as Artistic Director of accessories and menswear collections,” they also added.
Bernard Arnault, Chief Executive of LVMH, said, “Kim Jones is a great talent, and since joining, he has continuously proven his ability to adapt to the codes and heritage of the LVMH houses while revisiting them with great modernity and audacity.” Arnault continued by adding that he is ”convinced that his vision and passion will highly contribute to the success of the women‘s collections.”
Serge Brunschwig, CEO of the brand, also welcomed the designer. “I am thrilled to welcome Kim Jones at FENDI. Kim is one of the most talented and relevant designers of today. With Silvia Venturini Fendi, who has virtuously carried on FENDI and Karl Lagerfeld legacy, Kim will bring his contemporary one of a kind point of view into the world of FENDI.”
Silvia Venturini Fendi, which is the only family member still working at the historic Italian business, also applauds the decision of making Jone part of the team. “My warmest welcome to Kim, to whom I am bound by deep respect and friendship. I am looking forward to take the FENDI universe to the next level with him,” she said in a statement.
The 46-year-old British designer said this opportunity is a privilege. “I would like to profoundly thank Monsieur Arnault, Pietro Beccari, Serge Brunschwig, and Silvia Venturini Fendi for this incredible opportunity. Working across two such prestigious houses is a true honour as a designer, and to be able to join the house of FENDI as well as continuing my work at Dior Men’s is a huge privilege,” he wrote on Instagram.
Fans and consumers of the luxury brand also congratulated Jones on his new position. “[I] Can’t wait for Mr. Kim Jones‘s touch on Fendi,” a person wrote, while another said, “He’s exactly what Fendi womenswear needed.”