On February 25, Fendi presented its Fall/Winter 2026 collection at Milan Fashion Week.
The setting was the brand’s Milan headquarters on Via A. Solari 35. For Chief Creative Officer Maria Grazia Chiuri, the season marked the opening chapter of her tenure at the Roman house.
“Less I, More Us” — From the Individual to the Collective
“Less I, more us.”
The motto Chiuri introduced was far more than a slogan. Turning her attention to the legacy built by the five Fendi sisters, she made clear her intention to reconsider what she described as an “Italian and feminine way of working.” What emerges is not a celebration of solitary genius, but a belief in collective creativity.
To prioritize “us” over “I” is, in today’s complex fashion system, a statement of intent. The value of collaboration, shared purpose, and the willingness to understand and embrace others and the world around us formed the conceptual backbone of the collection.
On the runway, womenswear and menswear followed the same trajectory.
The opening looks presented structured tailored jackets, double-breasted suits, and precise long coats. These pieces were shown beyond gender distinctions, redefining femininity and masculinity not as opposites, but as resonant qualities.
A Return to the Body
Another core theme of the collection was a return to the body.
Rather than controlling the body’s primal, earthly impulses, clothing here received and enveloped them—allowing sensation to surface through texture and tactility.
Black lace sheer dresses did not conceal the skin but seemed to suspend air around it. Slip dresses recalling lingerie, velvet necklines cut deep. What emerged was not exhibitionism, but an articulation of conscious sensuality.
At the same time, rich textures—fur and shearling—introduced weight and gravity. Long-haired coats, soft vests, enveloping volumes. Delicacy and density, transparency and concealment. The tension between these elements traced the subtle line between desire and restraint.
Nomadism as a Way of Living
Chiuri described the collection as “a map filled with personal experiences, memories, and emotions.” Clothing, in this vision, becomes a vessel of memory—carrying traces of encounters and movement.
Khaki parkas, denim ensembles, tiger-patterned coats and bags. Practical military inflections suggested an urban nomadism. Yet shimmering evening dresses appeared on the same runway, dissolving the divide between the everyday and the exceptional.
The inclusion of works by female artists such as Mirella Bentivoglio and SAGG Napoli further embedded a dialogue across generations and cultures. The wardrobe was reconstructed not merely as a series of products, but as a site where relationships and memory intersect.
Black as Foundation, Red as Emotion
The palette was anchored in black, expanding into beige, khaki, and denim blue—until interrupted by a flash of vivid red.
A deep crimson dress marked the emotional apex of the narrative. Its pared-back silhouette heightened the presence of the body. Desire did not shout; it asserted itself quietly.
Gold and crystal embellishments shimmered, fringes swayed. Fendi’s luxury was unmistakably present—yet not as repetition of the past, but as reinterpretation for the present moment.
Beyond the Dissolution of Boundaries
By having men and women walk the same runway, the framework of “menswear” and “womenswear” was deliberately relativized. A suit paired with a lace skirt, a velvet jacket worn against bare skin, a sheer dress grounded by boots. Dressing was proposed not as a rigid code, but as a set of possibilities aligned with life itself.
This was an effort to liberate clothing from fixed roles and bring it closer to emotion and desire. Chiuri’s first collection for Fendi respected the house’s history while shifting its axis—from individual authorship to collective creation, from control to acceptance.
Explore all the looks from the Fendi Fall/Winter 2026 collection in the gallery below.
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