The chat among editors at the autumn/winter 2020 shows has turned to concern over the size of the models on the runway more than once. It’s what made the inclusive casting for Thursday evening’s Fendi show such a welcome breath of fresh air through Milan.
Silvia Venturini Fendi’s celebration of femininity knew no size, age or ethnicity barrier. Between the first girl out, Vogue cover girl Vittoria Ceretti, and the last, fashion week darling Kaia Gerber, came shape models (Paloma Elsesser, Jill Kortleve); runway veterans (Carolyn Murphy, Liya Kebede, Mariacarla Boscono); established faces (Anna Ewers, Binx Walton); girls of the moment (Ugbad Abdi, Adut Akech); and the Instagram sensations no 2020 show should be without (Bella and Gigi Hadid).
Venturini Fendi described her vision of a woman who is “independent, free and strong” to British Vogue at a preview. It’s a vision the man behind the casting, Piergiorgio Del Moro, clearly kept in mind. Venturini Fendi went on: “In a moment where we talk more about feminism than femininity, it made me want to analyse the concept of the feminine wardrobe through the decades. My wish for the new generations is to be perceived as strong while keeping the codes of femininity.”
