After four years at Fendi, Kim Jones has announced he is leaving the Roman house. In a statement, LVMH wrote: “Kim Jones made significant contributions to the brand’s creative legacy, seamlessly integrating his modern and cross-cultural aesthetics with Fendi’s historical heritage,” the joint statement said. “Under his leadership, the maison reinvented its ready-to-wear and couture collections, offering an inclusive and innovative approach to fashion that constantly renewed Fendi’s Italian codes. Throughout his four years, Jones’ work was wholly guided by passion and creativity.”

Jones – who remains the artistic director of Dior Men – joined Fendi in 2020, designing the house’s women’s ready-to-wear and haute couture. Throughout his tenure, he has worked closely with Silvia Venturini Fendi, who oversees menswear and accessories at the house, and her daughter, Delfina Delettrez Fendi, who designs the jewellery. The polished style of the women of the house often informed Jones’ collections. “While Delfina will wear [Venturini]’s old clothes but they’ll still look supercool. It’s very chic, elegant,” he told 10 Magazine in 2021.

His vision for Fendi ready-to-wear was unashamedly luxurious, steeped in craft and rich in Roman values. He often mined Karl Lagerfeld’s legendary collections for the house, reworking classic Fendi codes for a contemporary consumer.

Describing his design language for the house, he told 10: “I think it’s modern, but I don’t think it’s too modern. When you see things that are very vintage-y or things that are very avant-garde modern, it’s quite hard. You know, people want something that’s for now and, in my mind, that’s what I’m designing for.”

Venturini-Fendi described Jones as a “voracious observer of the moment, of people, of what people’s desires are and what people need.”

It is yet to be announced who will succeed Jones at the house.

Photography by Nikolai Von Bismarck.

fendi.com