Water may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think about Italian luxury house FENDI, yet water was the theme of the Maison’s installation at this year’s Design Miami that took place in early December. Celebrating the tenth year anniversary of FENDI’s participation at the fair, Rotterdam-based designer Sabine Marcelis has created ten unique fountains made out of cast resin, inspired by ten of the brand’s most iconic symbols and motifs. From the emblematic FF logo and the timeless design of the Peekaboo bag, to timeless fur patterns, Marcelis’ ethereal fountains, collectively titled ‘The Shapes of Water’, embody FENDI’s historical, creative and aesthetic legacy while their innovative construction exemplifies the brand’s virtuosity when it comes to the processing of materials. The Maison’s intimate relationship with water, and in particular the historical fountains of its hometown, Rome, took roots in 1977 when it commissioned writer and director Jacques de Bascher to make a short film to showcase its first ready-to-wear collection. Titled Histoire d’Eau, the film follows Suzy Dyson, a young American tourist visiting Rome, as she explores the city and its fountains, bedecked in the Maison’s creations. The film cemented the Maison’s interest in Rome’s fountains which in 2013 begot the Fendi for Fountains initiative that aims to preserve and restore the city’s emblematic fountains. Three years later, to celebrate its 90 years anniversary, FENDI’s runway show, Legends and Fairy Tales, was staged in front of the iconic Trevi Fountain.
