Inside the newly opened Palazzo FENDI Milano this fall, creativity harmonizes like a live performance. The Maison’s debut initiative, “Rock the Craft,” transforms the third floor Atelier into a living workshop, where visitors witness divine artistry in progress. With much anticipation, skillful Italian artist Edoardo Piermattei joins forces with FENDI’s master artisans, their collaboration blending experimental gestures with centuries-old savoir-faire.
“Visitors witness divine artistry in progress,”
Piermattei’s sculptural vocabulary—vaults, pigments, and techniques usually reserved for architecture—meets the precision of FENDI’s leather and fur specialists. Together, they transpose his cement-based artwork found on the boutique’s floors into supple textures, inlaid with astonishing finesse. The immersive universe unfolds as both an homage to material transformation as well as a daring proposal that luxury can indeed evolve while staying true to its roots.
The Peekaboo, Reimagined
Peekaboo Artist by Edoardo Piermattei, FENDI “Rock The Craft,” Courtesy of Fendi.
At the heart of this unique collaboration stands one of FENDI’s most iconic muses—the Peekaboo bag. Piermattei’s tactile language informs a customized white canvas version, the newest entry into the Peekaboo Artists series. Alongside it, a limited number of made-to-order Peekaboo bags, crafted from offcuts of past collections, highlight the Maison’s pursuit of circularity.
These editions showcase monumental innovation and embody a vital new ethic. By repurposing surplus materials, FENDI offers a luxury object that cradles memory and meaning, stitched with sustainability and steeped in multi-faceted artistry.
A New Cultural Destination
Palazzo FENDI Milan, © Delfino Sisto Legnani and Melania Dalle Grave; Courtesy of Fendi.
Palazzo FENDI Milano itself is a revelation. Nestled ideally at the meeting point of Via Montenapoleone and Corso Matteotti, the rationalist-era building, designed by Emilio Lancia in the 1930s, now plays out as FENDI’s most immersive stage. Spanning over 900 square meters, the four-level boutique intertwines Milanese modernism with Roman grandeur, while the upper floors introduce three distinct dining realms by Langosteria, bridging the art of couture and cuisine.
“The four-level boutique intertwines Milanese modernism with Roman grandeur,”
The interior, superbly envisioned by FENDI’s Architecture Department, is an evolving dialogue between history and invention. Curved travertine walls echo Roman columns, walnut wood arches whisper of Milanese spaces, while bursts of commissioned art ground the space firmly in the present. Each corner is an inviting conversation between artisan hands and contemporary imagination.
Art as a Companion
Palazzo FENDI Milan, © Delfino Sisto Legnani and Melania Dalle Grave; Courtesy of Fendi.
FENDI’s inspired, ongoing collaborations with foundations and galleries—from Fondazione Officine Saffi to Secci Gallery—transform Palazzo FENDI Milano into something closer to a cultural institution than a boutique. Works by artists including Anton Alvarez, Levy van Veluw, Nick Cave, and Roger Cal are interwoven throughout the building, blurring the boundaries between product and artwork, commerce and contemplation.
“Each corner is an inviting conversation between artisan hands and contemporary imagination,”
Even the stairwell unwinds like an ethereal gallery, dressed in frescoes and vaults designed by Piermattei. His chosen palette—vivacious shades of terracotta, burgundy, and blue—beckon guests to ascend each floor as a delightful new chapter of discovery.
The Women Behind FENDI
Palazzo FENDI Milan, © Delfino Sisto Legnani and Melania Dalle Grave; Courtesy of Fendi.
Beyond architecture and artistry, Palazzo FENDI Milano tells a profoundly human story. Its windows now honor the women who shaped the Maison’s identity, from co-founder Adele Casagrande Fendi to her five daughters, whose collective ingenuity propelled FENDI into global prominence. As fashion designer and artistic director Silvia Venturini Fendi says, “The FENDI story is a female one.”
“The FENDI story is a female one,”
Silvia Venturini Fendi
These illuminated silhouettes remind visitors that FENDI’s narrative is inseparable from female creativity and resilience. The distinct homage threads history through to the present, spotlighting that tradition and modernization, like mother and daughter, are continuations of one epic story.
Palazzo FENDI Milan, © Delfino Sisto Legnani and Melania Dalle Grave; Courtesy of Fendi.
Edoardo Piermattei & FENDI Artisans At Work; Courtesy of Fendi.
