The Fendi Baguette bag, first introduced by Silvia Venturini Fendi in 1997, is a signature accessory of the Roman house. The timeless handbag style, with its idiosyncratic ‘FF’ logo clasp, was designed to sit snugly under the shoulder, just the way the French carry their freshly baked bread, and has had numerous style iterations over the years. Fendi marked the bag’s 15th anniversary with an exhibition of embellished and embroidered Baguette designs, at storied Parisian concept store Colette. In 2019, the brand even launched a scented version of the style, infused with its ‘FendiFrenesia’ fragrance.
Now, the Fendi Baguette bag has been given its most artisanal update. In celebration of Italian craftspeople, working to uphold time-honed techniques, the brand has launched a series of limited-edition styles designed by Silvia Venturini Fendi in collaboration with artisans based in 20 regions across the country. Intricately formed, kaleidoscopic and tactile designs have been crafted by contributors including a family-run workshop of marquetry experts in Campania; embroiderers who operate from a castle in Piedmont; filigree specialists in Liguria; and mosaic makers trained from teenagehood in Emilia-Romagna. The iterations elevate the accessories into objet d’art.
Discover the Fendi Baguette bag in filigree
Each style from the collaboration – called the ‘Hand in Hand’ project – is available in a limited-edition of 20, and the inside pocket of every Baguette bag is stamped with the name and location of the artisanal atelier that crafted it, along with a gold ‘Fendi Hand in Hand’ logo. The bags symbolise time-honed craftsmanship, something Fendi strives to support and celebrate.
Explains one collaborator, who established a filigree workshop in Liguria in the 1980s, continuing a craft that originated in the Middle Ages, ‘Like many other handicrafts that should be preserved, it is increasingly important to be able to carry on the tradition.’ §