THE INSPIRATION for the set that hosted Maria Grazia Chiuri’s Spring 2027 RTW collection at Fendi was Luciano Fabro’s famous Cubo di specchi – a large, walk-in mirrored cube that multiplied reflections into infinity. Guests, reflected in the floors and seating, suddenly found themselves part of the runway show.

Was Chiuri creating a way of democratising of the runway space, one where everyone’s a part of the Fendi family? Or was it offering a moment of self-reflection for the Roman house? This month marks one year for Chiuri at Fendi, so perhaps a moment of contemplation was due. Truthfully, it was all perhaps a bit of Column A and some from Column B…

The collection’s literal starting point was an E.E. Cummings line, “i like my body when it is with your”, an invitation to experience how bodies appear alongside one another and the clothing that becomes a tactile connection between the two. Starting with underwear, because what sits closer to the body than this?

The strongest conversation to be had within the collection came through via texture and surface materials. Glossy fabrics met matte ones, silk was paired with animal print and velvet with parchment. 

A menswear jacket came in roughly cut pelts, and striped shirting was worn open low on the chest. In fact, the collection had something of a huntsman’s aesthetic, come in from the woods after winter. Capes and coats with fur-lined collars and vests featuring patchwork-like textures set the scene. But it wasn’t long until our hunter reached the city and black with gold brocade replaced the feralness of the preceding looks, the savage now an urban sophisticate.

The dressing gown also moved out onto the street. Men and women dressed on equal terms throughout, with gendered codes set aside.

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