Fendi X SKIMS Capsule: How Kim Kardashian West And Kim Jones Came Together To Create A Logomania Inspired Collaboration Like No Other
The vibrant (and no doubt viral) collection is available at a pop-up in The Dubai Mall this month
Four years before the dawn of Flashdance and a year before Kim Kardashian West – the queen of bodycon fashion – was even born, Karl Lagerfeld envisaged a collection of twisted tube tops, fitted sashes and pop colours fit for a digital age. Some 42 years later, Kim Jones and Kim Kardashian West resurrected those sketches, bringing them to life in a hotly anticipated makeover of historic Fendi icons.
In response to this era’s demand for more inclusive fashion, a union of the industry’s most important Kims would unite Fendi’s Roman vision with SKIMS commitment to inclusivity and “finding solutions for every body.” Available this month, the Fendi X SKIMS capsule, which can be spotted in real life at a Fendi pop-up at The Dubai Mall from November 2-16, involves amped-up ready-to-wear engineered to support the body’s curves with velvety knits and a So-Cal palette derived from the mogul’s own wardrobe. Fendi’s best-selling bags, as well as footwear styles like the Fendi First heel, underwent a revamp too. Sherbet hues and knitted textures energise the Baguette Chain and the Peekaboo, while the Fendi First clutch and the Sunshine Shopper come toned-down in neutrals.
Regarded as a master of collabs, Kim Jones has forged some of the most intriguing tie-ups in the industry. Most recently, he unfurled the pre-fall 2022 collection dubbed “Fendace” with Donatella Versace, unveiled to much fanfare in September at Milan Fashion Week.
Prior to taking the helm as Fendi’s artistic director of haute couture, ready-to-wear and fur collections, he was also credited as the creative force behind Louis Vuitton and the Supreme label luxury-meets-streetwear collaboration, that stirred one of the biggest social-media frenzies in history.
In fact, it was the same sort of social media hype ignited by SKIMS that switched on the lightbulb in Jones’ mind during a team creative session.
“The idea for the collaboration came about when my team and I were sitting around a table at the studio in Rome,” he explained.
“Suddenly, all the women went silent and started looking at their phones. I didn’t know what was going on, but they were waiting for the launch of the new SKIMS collection. It was then that I thought: let’s do something together,” he continued.
Kardashian West is also no stranger to the house of Fendi. The star was tapped during the Lagerfeld era as the face of Fendi in 2018, when she starred, together with her mother Kris Jenner and daughter North West, in the 10th anniversary #MeandMyPeekaboo campaign. Lagerfeld also famously photographed the star for a provocative shoot with CR Fashion Book in 2013, when she was eight months pregnant. It looks like, once again, the Kims and Fendi have found a fun new way to team up.