Explore The Arches of Fendi

by Natasha Wolff | April 27, 2020 1:00 pm

Fendi[1] recently commissioned Zurich design studio Kueng Caputo to create a new collection of sculptural furniture pieces exclusively to decorate the exterior colonnade of the label’s monumental headquarters, the Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana—and it’s officially arrived. To cultivate its designs, Kueng Caputo explored the relationship between the makeup of Fendi’s goods and the historic building that houses the brand.

The Roman fashion label is known for crafting innovative luxury pieces[2] using new materials and techniques, so Kueng Caputo took inspiration from Fendi’s methods to develop the textures and materials within this 10-piece collection, combining Fendi’s iconic Selleria leather with terra-cotta and adding the brand’s iconic saturated colors to give new life to the traditional materials. In doing so, the designers transformed the house’s soft Roman leather into a strong structural material, giving it an entirely new look and feel. One can barely imagine it’s leather.

The Roman Molds pieces are building blocks designed to create a series of intimate rooms. Kueng Caputo mirrored the repeating arches of the Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana’s facade within each piece—as seen, for example, in a long table with a Fendi yellow top resting on opposite arches. The Bow table is composed of a pink and orange arched base reminiscent of the house’s beloved Peekaboo bag. In fact, Kueng Caputo made a customized canvas version of the Peekaboo[3] to complement the Roman Molds series—which, along with the tables, includes room dividers, stools, a palm tree structure, and a tête-à-tête bench.

Source URL: https://dujour.com/design/explore-the-new-sculptural-design-of-fendi-headquarters/