Following a year of classical scores, first performed in celebration of the Summer Solstice at Fendi’s Roman Headquarters, then in Shanghai, Seoul and Tokyo, the Italian house is now bringing its Anima Mundi series to New York in partnership with the acclaimed Juilliard School and an ensemble of six student musicians.

In celebration of The Juilliard Jazz program, helmed by Grammy award-winning trumpeter and composer, Wynton Marsalis, Fendi broadens its endorsement of nascent design and visual artists to touch the traditionally American disciplines of jazz, instituting a donation program in support of burgeoning artists, current and future students, further shoring up their dreams of professional music, dance, and drama.

“Beyond our admiration for the dedication of the students to have reached the level of achievement having been accepted to the esteemed Juilliard School in their respective disciplines, our shared obsession with craft and the importance that arts play in giving back to society is the reason we at Fendi chose to make a meaningful donation to Juilliard,” said Fendi CEO, Serge Brunschwig, in a press release.

While New York City remains very much in the grips of coronavirus, the fifth episode of Anima Mundi was shot in a bid to inspire respite, renewal, regrowth, and resilience – a ballad of motifs that’s never felt more present than with the onset of coronavirus last year. “Jazz symbolizes individual freedom, collective creativity and personal resilience–fundamental attributes needed to effectively navigate an increasingly complex world,” said Marsalis. “New York is the quintessential modern metropolis, a cauldron of cutting-edge connectivity. And Juilliard brings youthful virtue, vigor and virtuosity to the timeless challenges of humanity.”

Lensed by director Nick Morgan Lieberman in the Appel Room of Lincoln Center, overlooking Central Park, the students performed an original set composed by master’s student, Aaron Matson, “Rollerblading in Harlem,” commissioned by Fendi to close out their suite of episodes.

Saxophonist Colin Waters, drummer Taurien Reddick, trumpeter Summer Camargo, bassist Jayla Chee, pianist Tyler Henderson, and trombonist Jasim Perales found costume in the prêt-à-porter archives of Fendi’s Fall/Winter 2020-2021 Collections. Not shying from the house canary yellow signatures, the ballad reimagines branded wool scarves and vertical box bags with the effervescence of jazz and the spirit of creativity that sought uplift over these past months.

“The idea behind Anima Mundi was conceived during the darkest days of the pandemic in Italy, as a cause for hope, a reason to celebrate,” said Silvia Venturini Fendi. “It is now six months later that students from Juilliard are playing together for the first time in New York, marking the beginning of a New Year that also brings with it cause for hope for our global community.”

See the final episode of Fendi’s Amina Mundi series here.