Karl Lagerfeld, Fendi’s Creative Director for over 50 years, says: “I don’t look at my old work. I personally, I’m not interested in my own past. I’m only interested in today, perhaps tomorrow,” in a recent interview with CNBC. Today, his words mean even more. The brand has just launched F is for Fendi, an online platform “by millenials, for millenials”. The standalone site (separated from fendi.com) is accompanied by a dedicated Instagram, Snapchat and Youtube channel.
This means highlighting creative lifestyle of the millenials – from their take on being “freaks” to list of cool places to visit. Featured figures including musical duo NxWorries (who played at Fendi Rome headquarters’ rooftop) and models Laura Love, Lemmie van den Berg and Kirin Dejonckheere. On the cool hangouts list is Coho Apartment in Rome among others.
Overall, F is for Fendi is a bold move that further signifies the blurring lines between high fashion and street wear. Michael Kors has done a campaign in the same spirit, The Walk. Coach 1941 rebranded its classic image with street-friendly manifesto. Louis Vuitton has just launched its hyped-up collaboration with Supreme at the Paris Men’s Fashion Week.
What platforms like F is for Fendi also show is the growing importance of millenials to luxury brands. Traditionally, luxury brands only target a mature crowd from the upper-high social class. These days, they tend to run different campaigns to target different markets. Killing more birds with more stones, sort of.