Thursday, June 22, 2017

Fendi Pays Tribute To Carla

Carla Fendi - one of the five formidable Fendi sisters (Paola, Anna, Franca, Carla and Alda), who inherited their family's fashion house - has died in Rome, aged 79.

Paying tribute to the style stalwart, who passed away following a long illness, the Fendi company said in a statement last night that Carla "never stopped to actively contribute with unchanged passion to the success of the company that continued to be a reason to live; from the first international recognitions obtained with the help of the four sisters until her last days. She was for all of us a source of inspiration and an example of dedication, work culture and sensibility for beauty. She will accompany us forever," reports WWD.

Carla joined the family business (which was founded in the Italian capital in 1925 by her parents Adele and Edoardo) in the Fifties, taking on PR and marketing responsibilities and is widely credited with the label's success in the US. Along the way she had a strong relationship with creative director Karl Lagerfeld - who was brought on in 1966 and last year marked his 50th anniversary at the brand - as well as LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault, whose company first started acquiring stakes in the label in the late Nineties and which now controls it completely. Carla's niece Silvia Venturini Fendi, daughter of her sister Anna, has co-creatively directed the label since 1994.


In addition to her work with the family fashion house, in 2007 she established the Carla Fendi Foundation, "with the aim of contributing to the preservation of cultural heritage and values from the past, and to guarantee their continuity and future growth, primarily in the art, literature, cinema, fashion, environment and social sectors", reads the organisation's website - philanthropic work which cemented her reputation as one of the fashion industry's most prominent and admired figures.

Today, social-media tributes were made by many, including Italian's governing fashion body, Camera Moda, which said: "In memory of Carla Fendi, Italian fashion pioneer and ambassador. Her work and passion for art and culture will be an example for every generation."

No comments:

Post a Comment