Fendi genuine Alligator Spy bag Limited edition
View Similar Items
Fendi genuine Alligator Spy bag Limited edition
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Material Notes:Alligator
- Condition:EXCELLENT.
- Seller Location:Cloverdale, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: AU121217581186
Fendi
Like other major European luxury fashion houses, Fendi started small. Adele Casagrande was an Italian creative who loved fashion and sold leather and fur accessories from a tiny workshop she opened in Rome in 1918. However, after marrying Edoardo Fendi in 1925, her business model was altered dramatically. Together, the couple changed the boutique’s name to Fendi and moved into a bigger storefront, which quickly became the favorite shop of women all over Italy’s capital city for furs and leathers, such as handbags, coats and accessories.
As time moved on for Adele and Edoardo, the couple began to distribute more responsibility to their five daughters, who assumed management of the company during the 1950s. Fendi’s audience broadened and its profitability has soared over the years, owing to the brand’s fresh perspective on fashion world happenings and innovative sensibility. The maison also has a distinctive relationship with old-world Italian craftsmanship. The Selleria bags were the work of master saddlers in Rome, and Fendi partnered with lace artisans in southern Italy as well as craftsmen in the east trained in the intrecciato (intertwined) technique (an idea that Adele introduced during the 1940s), which, in Fendi’s case, sees an interwoven leather fabric integrated in the creation of its handbags, countering leather’s traditional rigidity with a bag that is soft, versatile and fitted with an alluring slouchy curve.
It wasn’t until 1965, however, when a young German designer named Karl Lagerfeld took the creative helm that Fendi became a world-renowned fashion house. In fact, Lagerfeld, who produced four to five collections yearly for the brand, is credited with creating Fendi’s instantly recognizable double-F logo (which stands for “Fun Furs”) in “less than five seconds.” Until Lagerfeld started designing for the brand, fur was a material mostly associated with heavy coats that few people actually wore. Lagerfeld reimagined fur in creative ways, using it as an accent on purses, cuffs on dress sleeves and collars on wool coats.
Over the ensuing years, Fendi has broken into the home-goods market with Fendi Casa and has become synonymous with luxury fashion, producing such pieces as the iconic Baguette, which was rendered ever popular on the television series Sex and the City. In fact, an entire episode during the third season was dedicated to the “original It bag,” a slim accessory tapered in a manner that recalls its namesake, designed in 1997 by Adele and Edoardo’s granddaughter Silvia Venturini Fendi, who was named creative director of accessories three years earlier.
Perhaps just as well known as its vintage Baguette handbags and creative use of fur is the brand’s devotion to its Italian roots. In 2013, Fendi donated more than 2 million euros to restore Rome’s Trevi Fountain, and when it was reopened to visitors, Fendi hosted its Autumn/Winter 2017 show on top of the landmark.
Fendi was a family-controlled brand until 1999 and is now owned by LVMH. In late 2020, British fashion designer Kim Jones was named the house’s artistic director for womens wear.
Find a wide variety of vintage Fendi handbags and purses, clothing and other accessories on 1stDibs.
- 1930's Hand Woven Fish Basket Purse Bucket BagLocated in New York, NY1930's hand woven circular fish basket purse with double drop handles to carry in hand or under arm. The bag can also be used to enhance home decor and as a catch all. Beautiful piece.Category
Mid-20th Century Unknown Shoulder Bags
- Kathrine Baumann Beverly Hills Snow White's Red Apple Minaudiere Evening BagBy Katherine Baumann, Kathrine Baumann Beverly HillsLocated in Tustin, CAA limited-edition, signed and numbered, Swarovski crystal encrusted, gold-plated metal Snow White's red apple shaped minaudière evening bag purse by Kathrine Baumann, who is the cele...Category
1990s American Evening Bags and Minaudières
- Chanel Red Leather Belt, 1990-2000s Pristine Condition, Never Worn.By ChanelLocated in Buchanan, MIChanel Red Leather Belt, 1990-2000s Pristine Condition, Never Worn. Red Leather Buckel With Chanel Stamp.Category
20th Century Belts
- GUCCI Authentic RARE Leather GG Logo VINTAGE 1970s Handbag Purse Crossbody ITALYBy GucciLocated in Asheville, NCGucci, Authentic Vintage 1970's, Iconic GG Logo, Heavy Goldtone Hardware, Leather, Marked BREV. N. 53280 (BREV. stand for PATENTED MODEL in Italian), Made in Italy, Short Crossbody (More of a Shoulder Bag) Open Goldtone Front Logo, Gucci Interior...Category
1970s Italian Crossbody Bags and Messenger Bags
$1,399 Sale Price30% Off - CHANEL Authentic RARE CC Logo VINTAGE 1980s Black Satin Handbag Purse ITALYBy ChanelLocated in Asheville, NCCHANEL, Half Moon Crescent Mini Evening Bag Purse, Authentic Vintage Mid 1980's, Six Digit Serial Number (160338) placed inside pocket lining, Quilted Satin Fabric Exterior with Leat...Category
1980s Clutches
- 2015 Chanel Rare black Classic flap enamel crossbody top handle bagBy ChanelLocated in Miami, FLVery rare piece the same collection in a larger size as bag seen on kate middleton Lambskin leather comes with dust bag and authenticity card. In like...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Crossbody Bags and Messenger Bags
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
The Fendi Baguette Is an ‘It’ Bag Again, 25 Years After Its Introduction
Iconic Italian fashion houses Fendi and Versace teamed up on this delightfully outrageous Fendace reimagining.
14 Iconic Luxury Handbags and the Stories behind Them
When the name of a bag is as well-known as its brand, you know it's a classic.