In the TV series Sex and the City, Carrie Bradshaw doesn't hesitate to bargain with a mugger who is pointing a gun at her and trying to steal her handbag. "It's a Baguette," she says. Although the man ends up taking her ring, watch, and Manolo Blahnik shoes, the scene became a turning point for the Fendi handbag. The compact model with a short strap, which can be carried under the arm like a French baguette, was designed by Silvia Venturini Fendi in 1997. Three years later, however, Carrie Bradshaw made it an object of desire, forcing stores to introduce waiting lists for the handbag at the turn of the millennium. The rest is history.

Do you know the women after whom iconic handbags are named?

A CENTURY OF FENDI

Even after all these years, the Baguette handbag is probably the first thing that comes to mind for most people when they hear the name Fendi. The truth is, however, that it is often the only thing. How is this possible when the Italian fashion house, which was founded only four years after Gucci, is celebrating an incredible 100 years of success this year? One of the many reasons may be that there has never been any drama surrounding the Fendi name. No sibling squabbles over succession or contract killings, as in the case of the Gucci clan.

Unlike the Prada fashion house, where men ruled with an iron fist for the first twenty years, while women were not welcome in the family business (how ironic, given how extremely influential Miuccia Prada is today), Fendi was primarily a women's project from the beginning, where matriarchy reigned for a century. The brand was founded in 1925 by Adele Casagrande and Edoardo Fendi, initially as a shop specializing in leather and fur goods, and they opened their first boutique in Rome. The first items that won the Fendi couple a wealthy Italian clientele were luggage and other leather goods, on which they applied the Sellaria method – a traditional stitching technique inspired by centuries of handcrafted methods used by master saddlers. Another exclusive feature that has accompanied the Fendi brand to this day is fur coats made from unusual furs.

MEETING A GENIUS

Every family has "something," but if you had to choose which Italian fashion clan you would like to grow up in, Fendi would undoubtedly be a pleasant choice. In 1946, all five daughters from the marriage joined the company – Paola, Anna, Francesca, Carla, and Alda – and each received an equal 20% stake in the company. Not only did women take over the Fendi studios, but their children were also allowed to play there. Today, Silvia Venturini Fendi, Anna's daughter and creator of the Baguette, recalls how, as a little girl, she used a magnet to pick up pins that had fallen on the floor. She was only six when she met the man in whom the five Fendi sisters placed their full trust and who, in 1965, elevated the brand to a full-fledged fashion house: the then thirty-year-old Karl Lagerfeld.

In one of her memories, recalled by AnOther magazine on the occasion of the 100th anniversary, Silvia describes how he charmed her. She was bored at school because everything she enjoyed happened at home. Lagerfeld even chose her as a child model for his first capsule collection (he did not create classic ready-to-wear for Fendi until 1977) – in the photo, she poses in riding clothes, including a jacket and fur cap. It was this outfit that was reincarnated at Fendi's latest show. It was worn by Silvia's two grandsons, Tazio and Dardo (also six years old), who opened the show – symbolically and literally, as they opened the gate at the beginning, which was a replica of the door of the original Roman studio on Via Borgognona. Although Silvia Venturini Fendi prefers to live in the present, she staged one of her earliest memories here. "Flashback and Fast Forward," commented her daughter Delfina Delettrez Fendi, mother of the boys and also a designer who heads the jewelry division of the company, on Instagram.

Speaking of "F," it was Lagerfeld who modernized Fendi's logo. Back in 1965, he came up with the idea of two opposing "F"s, which are embodied in metal clasps on handbags and a luxurious brown monogram. His genius lay not only in the thoughtful detail, but also in the sheer quantity. Beka Gvishiani, author of the popular Instagram account Style Not Com, described during his visit to the Fendi archives last year that Lagerfeld's section alone contains 25,000 hand-drawn fashion sketches. "He created 789 of them for a single collection, autumn 1987. I mean, how much time did he have?" marveled the well-known fashion commentator. It's hard to say, but his creative relationship with Fendi lasted a full 54 years (until Lagerfeld's death in 2019), which he himself described as the longest collaboration in fashion history. Admittedly, it was somewhat overshadowed by the fact that Lagerfeld always had several irons in the fire and it was mainly his work for Chanel that attracted publicity. But even at Fendi, he was spectacular – for example, when he staged a show on the Great Wall of China in 2007.

KARL, CARLA, AND FUR COATS

At a time when designers are changing at the helm of fashion houses like apostles on a clock, it seems incredible that the bond between the Fendi family and Karl Lagerfeld has lasted five decades. Part of the reason lies in the personality of the iconic designer, who, while never shy about making arrogant remarks, was also known for his loyalty. The chemistry between him and the Fendi sisters is revealed in last year's miniseries Becoming Karl.

In one scene, they all greet him warmly at a work meeting, as if it were a family gathering. Moments later, one of the sisters, short-haired Carla, hires Lagerfeld's lover Jacques de Bascher to shoot the new ready-to-wear campaign, even though he has minimal experience. "I can't refuse him much," Carla explains to the surprised young man. Lagerfeld (the real one) described her in an interview with Harper's Bazaar as "a driving force with a real talent for PR." It was she who hired him as a freelancer, which was a revolutionary concept at the time. "She basically invented him. She was a genius of her kind," Karl praised Carla.

It was thanks to the freedom he was given that Lagerfeld was able to turn Fendi into a renowned "playground of creativity." He elevated fur from a boring bourgeois symbol to a high-end fashion craft with artistic appeal. "Fendi and Lagerfeld broke down all barriers in the industry. They perfected groundbreaking techniques that designers still use today, including knitted fur, pleats on fur skirts, the creation of ultra-light summer fur, and pioneering intarsia, which allows different types and colors of fur to be cut and sewn together to create an intricate puzzle. Over the years, Lagerfeld rebelliously ripped out linings, dyed fur in wild shades, shaved it, gilded it with 24-carat gold, wove it into baskets, and buried it under layers of luxurious jewelry, embroidery, and yarn," describes the evocative article Fendi's Fairy Tale: Karl Lagerfeld Opens Up About His 50 Years with the Brand, published by Harper's Bazaar on the occasion of the fashion house's 90th anniversary. The designer himself summed it up with the words: "We don't do ordinary mink." Incidentally, his aforementioned logo, consisting of two "F"s, also had a meaning – Fun Fur.

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I can guess what you're thinking right now, namely that real fur should remain a relic of the 20th century. What is Fendi's stance on fur today? The truth is that this fashion house has never given it up. However, this year's fall shows are changing course, as noted by industry magazine Business of Fashion. "For the longest time, the fashion industry has literally shunned fur. Even using faux fur was risky because you didn't want people to think it was real, God forbid," comments trend analyst Mandy Lee. She notes that suddenly, realistic fur is everywhere. "I honestly wouldn't be surprised if more than 50 percent included some kind of fur." The Fendi fashion house has never abandoned its tradition, because it is built on top-notch craftsmanship, which it intends to continue developing. Of course, it uses only certified fur, which was also featured in its latest collection. With the exception of one more eccentric mink piece, almost all of the fur used was sheep shearling. This means that "animals that are part of the food chain" were used, as Delfina Delettrez Fendi herself replied to a question on her Instagram.

BAGUETTES IN A HUNDRED WAYS

Another "playground" where Fendi showcases its unbridled creativity is handbags. These have become the domain of Silvia, who officially joined the company as the third generation in 1992. In addition to the elegant trapezoidal Peekaboo model, which is a response to Hermès' Kelly, and the rounded Fendigraphy model with a distinctive logo on the bottom of the bag, the aforementioned Baguette has become an icon. Unlike other luxury handbags, it does not seek to play on quiet luxury; on the contrary, in this case, more is more. The most popular models feature a striking monogram, floral embroidery, purple sequins (which Carrie tried to resist) and a metallic finish (which Samantha coveted in another episode).

"The Fendi archive is an absolute paradise full of Baguettes – there are 875 versions of the handbag collected from all over the world. They are constantly trying to discover and acquire new ones (and once even accidentally bought a fake one. But we're all only human)," says Beka Gvishiani, explaining the phenomenon. She also mentions the Hand In Hand project, through which Silvia Venturini Fendi collaborates with local artists from around the world. "The result? A metal or wooden Baguette that took 11 months to make. Or a Peekaboo with thousands of crystals that weighs more than you lifted at the gym today." Fendi (wholly owned by the LVMH group since 2000) is simply a fashion house where absolute dedication to tradition meets a natural desire for innovation and self-expression. "A mix of past and future, intelligence and humor, costumes for the opera Carmen and collaboration with Skims," is how Gvishiani sums up his impressions of the archive, which, incidentally, is located in a white architectural gem from the 1940s, the Palace of Italian Civilization in Rome.

After the death of Karl Lagerfeld, the fashion house faced a difficult succession issue, which was successfully resolved by designer Kim Jones, who took over not only the ready-to-wear section but also haute couture. However, this did not turn into another long-lasting "marriage." In October last year, it was announced that Jones was leaving his creative position, and Fendi thus joined the ranks of fashion houses operating without a chief creative officer. The last collection for fall/winter 2025/2026, which celebrated the brand's 100th anniversary, was a rare treat prepared by Silvia Venturini Fendi, who does not usually venture into women's design (although she could, as her designs were truly beautiful). At the time of writing, it is not known who will take her place (there is speculation that it could be Pierpaolo Piccioli). Nevertheless, it is clear that Fendi is ending its century with dignity. And it will be exciting to see what lies ahead.