FENDI showcased its Men’s Spring/Summer 2022 collection from Rome, Italy on Saturday.

Waiting for the show to start, viewers saw only a white, almost industrial room. The only movement: the shadows stretching along the pale walls as stark white light moved forward from the back of the room. Suddenly, a blue sky appears.

Moving out towards the bright city sky, we are transported to the coordinates of FENDI headquarters, 41°50’12.1″N 12°27’54.0″E. The Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana in Rome. A perfectly cubical, marble Rationalist monument lined with perfectly  symmetrical archways across the entire exterior. From it, there are 360° views of the seven hills of Rome, the Apennine mountains and glimpses of the Mediterranean Sea.

“Our singular point of view in this period has modified our perception of the world – and mine has become so linked to what I see from the arches and the rooftop of our building. It is almost like a bird’s eye view of Rome from here,” says Silvia Venturini Fendi, Artistic Director of FENDI Accessories and Menswear. “The colours and the perspective are always changing – the soft palette of the Roman sky across the day is so beautiful and I wanted it to be a focal point of this collection.”

Models walk between those very arches, flooded with warm orange sunlight.

The collection takes on Fendi’s view. Softly colored pieces melt into the perfectly sunlit room, with a spinning and shifting camera giving viewers that same all-around view of the pieces that the location gives of Rome. The palette is reminiscent of spring, in pastel shots of lemon and lime, ice blue, lavender, pistachio and peony. Flowy tops, cropped jackets and blazers and bold eyewear were the highlights.

In the topographic representations of FENDI Earth, there are no sharp lines, only fluid patterns. The map of Rome becomes the centrepiece of these designs.

Moving onto the roof, the sky is dusky and a touch cloudy. Pink light still peeks through, as the sun sets – the colors of the sky blending into each other. The pieces reflect just this, with cooler, more neutral tones taking the stage. The mineral shades draw a sharp contrast to the softness of the previous pieces. Yet, still airy and light. Every once in a while, some of those pastels return, but just like during a sunset, they are only temporary.

Evolving from the moulded FENDI Flow sneaker, buckled sandals join a monochrome slip-on knit sneaker with appliqué details in the same pastel palette.

As the sky darkens, so too do the pieces. Grey and black take over, matching the coolness of the pitch black sky. It captures the feeling of the transition from the radiance and vibrancy of a spring afternoon, into the chill and obscurity of the night.

The grand finale, all the models standing in individual archways as the building becomes a pulsating light show. The glowing arches flash in time with the DJ’s electronic music, as the view becomes hazy and ripply. The illusion is broken and the sky goes black.

This collection is a playful getaway from the humdrum of everyday life, as well as a reflection of the points where nature meets architecture. Experimenting with shadows and a transient color palette reminiscent of the spring sky, FENDI has captured the majesty and natural beauty of the Eternal City.

Watch the Fendi Men’s 2022 Spring/Summer show here: