The Fendi logo is legendary. In fact, it surpasses the brand itself and takes on a life of its own. The double “F” symbol has become so famous that people who know nothing about the Fendi brand know about it.
What is the history of the Fendi logo and what are its design elements? Read on to learn much more about this iconic logo and brand.
The history of Fendi
The Fendi brand is synonymous with luxury. The Italian fashion brand is known not only for its distinctive double “F” logo, but also for its bold handbags crafted with perfect precision. For nearly a century, the fashion brand has always looked ahead, inspiring its creative designers to come up with newer and more original products, while keeping its collections more affordable and inspiring for its devoted customers.
Still, under the control of the Fendi family, Fendi is the same brand where a young Karl Lagerfeld excelled as artistic director, bringing the brand to the attention of the world and showing the masses how different and surprising some materials can be. That said, let’s take a little walk down memory lane and find out how this fashion brand started.
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The origins of Fendi
Eduardo Fendi and his wife Adele Fendi created this fashion brand in 1925 in Rome, Italy. Since its launch, Fendi has always been synonymous with opulence and luxury. The brand started out making leather goods and quickly moved on to making fur products, two products that Fendi is still known for today.
Moreover, Fendi was a family business from day one, as Eduardo and Adele’s five daughters were heavily involved in everything from conceiving innovative new ideas to helping sell the luxury goods to eager consumers looking for stylish items to add to their wardrobe collection.
In 1946, Edward died, and his wife and daughters continued the business. What began as a fashion brand focused on beauty and innovation has remained true to its roots and has never strayed from them.
Karl Lagerfeld joins Fendi
In 1965, Karl Lagerfeld was welcomed at Fendi. As creative director, Lagerfeld came up with the idea for the iconic double “F” emblem, which is actually short for Fun Furs.
Although today many fashion houses do not support the sale of fur, at the time it was a sought-after material. Lagerfeld pushed Fendi into the fur business, turning the brand into one of the leading manufacturers of fur items.
Instead of using fur solely to make fur coats, Lagerfeld decided to use the material for ready-to-wear designs, accessories and anything else he could think of. This made fur products more affordable for the average Fendi customer and gave the material a new purpose.
Lagerfeld also collaborated with the daughters of the Fendi family to continue creating original products. The daughters remained influential and were heavily involved in the day-to-day running of the business.
The designs became even more innovative and began to incorporate many colors, making the brand’s products even more desirable and unique. While furs had until then been an exclusive purchase – a preserve of the rich and famous – Fendi’s creatives took “lesser quality” furs and transformed them into something the average Fendi customer could afford. This allowed the brand to set more affordable prices.
In 1977, Lagerfeld also oversaw the launch of Fendi’s ready-to-wear garments, which was followed by a line of shoes in 1978. In the 1970s, Fendi also launched a series of handcrafted collections to relentlessly expand the fashion house, with fur and leather goods always at the forefront.
The evolution of Fendi
Adele Fendi’s death in 1978 led to changes in the brand’s hierarchy. Each of Fendi’s five daughters took over some part of the fashion brand, while Lagerfeld remained the chief creative officer. Fendi continued to grow and evolve, setting the pace in the luxury fashion market, continually innovating but maintaining its Italian origins.
The 1980s was a period of change for Fendi: the brand took the global fashion market by storm. The fashion brand also launched men’s and women’s perfumes and made uniforms for Rome’s police officers. In the late 1980s, Fendi’s first U.S. store opened on New York’s Fifth Avenue, and Fendi’s granddaughters were also involved in running the business. They helped design new items and grow the brand even further.
The Fendi Baguette
The Fendi Baguette is probably the most popular of all Fendi designs. The bag, designed by Silvia Fendi in 1997, started a handbag revolution for the fashion brand. A host of celebrities snapped up the bags as soon as they could, including Naomi Campbell, Madonna and many others.
Simple and fashionable, the bag was featured in several selections and inspired more legendary Fendi designs to emerge in the following years. The Baguette remains one of Fendi’s most coveted bags and is one of the best-selling pieces in the brand’s entire designer collection.
Today, the Baguette can be seen on the arms of many fashionistas around the world. And since the Baguette was designed, more than a thousand versions have been made! It is said that it was the success of the Baguette that made LVMH want to buy shares in Fendi. Other famous Fendi bags include the Roll Bag, the Ostrich Bag and the Biga Bag, all designed between 1999 and 2003.
LVMH takes over Fendi
In 1999, Fendi was acquired by LVMH and Prada, with the presidents of both fashion brands taking a majority stake. But despite the sale, Fendi remained under the management of the daughters of the third generation of the Fendi family.
Silvia Fendi worked with Karl Lagerfeld for more than 20 years until Karl’s death in 2019. After his death, she assumed the role of creative director that same year. She is best known for creating some of the world’s most iconic handbags. She went for lightness, practicality and functionality in handbags.
Kim Jones joins Fendi
Fendi has continued to grow, staying true to its Italian origins and putting the Fendi women at the forefront.
Eduardo and Adele’s granddaughter, Silvia Venturini Fendi, eventually took over the artistic direction of the Fendi accessories range (leading to its Baguette design), as well as the menswear collection. But in 2020, Fendi hired Kim Jones as artistic head of the women’s fur, ready-to-wear and couture collections.
According to Women’s Wear Daily, Jones is working closely with Fendi’s granddaughters, particularly Silvia, who remains influential at the brand. She is the first person outside the Fendi clan to join the brand in a key role since Karl Lagerfeld, whom the brand honored in 2019 after his passing with its fall couture show in Rome.
Not only did the fashion house pay homage to its origins in Rome, but the entire runway show was in honor of Lagerfeld, as well as his legacy with Fendi. It was the best way to thank Lagerfeld for all his contributions to Fendi’s success, as the brand continues to look to the future.
The Fendi of today and the Fendi of the future
Like many other fashion brands, Fendi aims to be even more environmentally conscious, using recycled materials and wanting to generate less waste. But while Prada has pledged to stop using fur, Fendi has no intention to stop using this material for the time being.
In an interview with Women’s Wear Daily, Antoine Arnault, head of environment, communication and image at LVMH, reiterated the company’s desire to be more eco-friendly in the future. Time will tell if they keep their word.
The Fendi logo and its evolution
The Fendi logo is known around the world, and its double “F” monogram has achieved iconic status. However, the original emblem of the luxury fashion house is far from the solid and bold inscription we see today.
1925 – 1965
Designed in 1925, Fendi’s first logo featured the image of a squirrel holding a walnut while delicately perched on a branch. It was a rather unusual symbol for a fashion brand. The logo was a meaningful mascot for the founders. Eduardo Fendi gave his wife Adele a picture of a squirrel as a gift, as he always said she was as busy as a squirrel.
The inscription was placed below the image in a strict sans-serif font in capital letters and featured the date “1925” as the tagline. Both sides of the logo were rendered in turquoise blue, which looked very refined on the brand’s bright yellow wrapping paper.
1965 – 2000
In 1965, Karl Lagerfeld joined Fendi and soon changed its logo. He created the iconic double “F” symbol in a matter of seconds, with the black logo underneath written in a tall, solid, straight sans-serif font.
2000 – 2013
In 2000, the “FF” symbol was removed from the official version of the Fendi logo and began to be used primarily for prints on fabrics and leather. As for the brand’s visual identity, it now consisted of a single uppercase inscription in a refined sans-serif typeface with the letters spaced widely apart, making the logo airy and light despite the thickness of the letter lines.
2013 – Present
Fendi’s 2013 logo redesign changed the font into a soft, rounded one. Today, its uppercase letters are rendered in a font much like Basic Commercial Soft-Rounded Pro Bold, with smooth, elegant lines but classic solid shapes.
A delicate slogan, “ROMA”, complements the vast logo in the same typeface but smaller. The tagline celebrates Rome, the brand’s hometown, which is also its main inspiration.
The Fendi symbol
Apart from the double “F” inscription, which is also called “Zucca” inverted, Fendi has a script emblem. The Fendi typeface used in the inscription is Helvetica Bold. Interestingly, the “F” in the Fendi symbol is not the same as the one in the script emblem.
Bags with Fendi logo
The Fendi logo appears on Fendi handbags in many different ways, with the clasp being the most obvious place. While it is the most attractive place for the emblem, it is not the only one.
On some bags, the double “F” emblem creates a pattern in the material. In this case, the symbol is repeated countless times. And, of course, the pattern is repeated on the inner lining.
Fendi Logo Bracelets
Bracelets with the Fendi emblem vary in material, structure and width. Wide metal bracelets with a large double “F” symbol are quite popular. You can also find a wide white bracelet with a black logo reminiscent of a stencil.
Fendi also offers chain bracelets, which feature the logo on the charms. In the case of leather bracelets, the logo usually appears on the clasp.
Fendi logo design elements
Shape: The Fendi double “F” symbol (also called the inverted“Zucca“) is one of the most iconic logos in the fashion world today. It was designed in 1965 by a young Parisian graphic designer named Karl Lagerfeld. The logo appears on a wide range of Fendi items, including clothing, shoes, handbags, purses and wallets.
Although Fendi is one of the world’s most valuable fashion houses, it has the unenviable distinction of having one of the most counterfeited logos in the world.
Source: The Fendi logo bears the brand name in capital letters written in Helvetica Bold font.*
Color: Fendi’s logotype uses the black which symbolizes the elegance, dominance and supremacy of the luxury fashion brand, while yellow signifies joy, happiness and optimism.