Kim Jones has been appointed as the new Artistic Director of Fendi’s women’s division. However, while taking on the haute couture, ready-to-wear and fur collections for women, the British designer will stay on as Artistic Director of Dior Men. This makes him the first creative to hold appointments at two different LVMH-owned fashion houses.
The 46-year-old London native is set to showcase his debut Fendi ready-to-wear collection for the autumn/winter 2021 season in February during Milan Fashion Week. His first significant foray into womenswear sees him taking over from Silvia Venturini Fendi. She has been the only one designing the collections since the great Karl Lagerfeld, who created the label's womenswear for over 50 years, died last year. Meanwhile, Venturini Fendi, granddaughter of founders Edoardo and Adele Fendi, will continue to steer the helm of the legendary Roman fashion house’s accessories, children and menswear collections.
"I would like to profoundly thank Monsieur Arnault @LVMH, Pietro Beccari, Serge Brunschwig and Silvia Venturini Fendi @silviaventurinifendi for this incredible opportunity," Jones shared on Instagram. "Working across two such prestigious houses is a true honour as a designer and to be able to join the house of @FENDI as well as continuing my work at @Dior Men’s is a huge privilege."
The surprising move was welcomed by Venturini Fendi, who said she was looking forward to taking “the Fendi universe to the next level with him.” Bernard Arnault, LVMH’s Chairman and Chief Executive, also seemed excited about the appointment.
“Kim Jones is a great talent and since joining, he has continuously proven his ability to adapt to the codes and heritage of the LVMH houses while revisiting them with great modernity and audacity,” he said in a statement. “At Fendi, I am convinced that his vision and passion will highly contribute to the success of the women’s collections.”
After launching his eponymous label during London Fashion Week in 2003, Jones became Alfred Dunhill’s Creative Director in 2008. Since his departure from Dunhill, the MA Fashion course at Central Saint Martins graduate has been involved in LVMH-owned fashion houses. From 2011 to 2018, Jones led menswear at Louis Vuitton and went on to take over from Kris Van Assche as Creative Director at Dior Men. The designer, who has an impressive network of A-lister friends, is known for successfully fusing couture sensibilities and codes of tailoring with a contemporary and, on occasion, streetwear twist.
