Kim Jones and Donatella Versace Explain Why Trademark Swap Is Courageous – WWD

MILAN – It was a defining moment – and “something that has never been done before,” said Donatella Versace.

Guests who attended the private event held at Versace’s headquarters in Via Gesù on Sunday evening got a surprise – a full creative exchange showcased on the runway.

Donatella Versace designed a Fendi collection and Kim Jones, Fendi’s artistic director, created a Versace range. Both collections are for pre-fall 2022 and will be available from May in Fendi and Versace boutiques exclusively.

Ahead of Milan Fashion Week and the event that closed the season here, Versace and Jones sat down with WWD to reveal the project – and to say the vibe was cheerful would be an understatement. Versace, wearing an orange top under a hot pink pantsuit and wearing oversized platforms, and Jones, wearing a black top and Bermuda shorts, were in good spirits, clearly enjoying working together for the past few years. months and eager to see the reaction to the collections.

“I love Donatella and I love Versace,” Jones said. “I’ve always admired Donatella, and Versace is part of the culture I grew up in; it is a cultural phenomenon. And when things in fashion get cultural, they last a very long time and that’s very interesting. With Donatella, I don’t know a single person in the world who doesn’t know her and fall in love with her when they meet her – that’s the magic of Donatella.

Versace was equally grateful, hugging Jones every now and then on the couch they shared in an office at his Milan headquarters, and even comparing him to a “younger brother.”

“I look all around me, especially the new generation of designers, and there are a lot of them and not everyone is amazing in my opinion, but some that you can see, they come out of the crowd, and the first [to do so] was Kim, ”said Versace, who has been known for championing young designers for years. “They all have ideas, they see fashion differently from other generations, which is to be expected, but Kim has this luxury background. He knows what luxury is, he knows how to make it young and accessible to younger audiences, which I honestly can’t find in anyone else. There is maybe [others], but I haven’t seen them. Kim has a big heart and when he’s friends with someone he gives everything. “

“Like you,” Jones rang.

“Me, I’m the same, that’s why I have few friends, not too many, you have to be careful who you surround yourself with,” said Versace.

The idea for the project was first pitched in February, during a dinner at Donatella’s with Jones, Silvia Venturini Fendi and her daughter Delfina Delettrez – laughing, she verifies that she still calls him her brother “la Gianni’s house “on Via Gesù. “They had never had a proper conversation before and they just clicked,” Jones recalls.

“Here are two Italian dynasties coming together, Karl [Lagerfeld] was Gianni’s best friend and Karl didn’t have many friends; they could be counted on the fingers of one hand. I remember them laughing, talking and making jokes. What I have in my eyes is a moment of happiness, ”recalls Versace, speaking of the longtime designer of Chanel and Fendi, who died in 2019.“ It all came naturally. I love Kim’s creativity and her work, it’s young and cool and new and there is quality. He knows how to cut a costume; ideas are one thing, but knowing how to make those ideas really trendy and special is another. He has both.

“Saying that, can you do all of my collections? She said with a big laugh.

Aware of rumors circulating a few seasons ago that Jones was joining Versace, before he was first selected by Dior as artistic director of men’s clothing and then by Fendi last year, they moved on to discuss. of the new project – without disclosing the details of the clothing. “Sorry, we want to keep this as a surprise,” Jones said.

“Everyone’s doing collaborations, but it’s the brave thing to do, the exchange,” rang Versace.

As for the show itself, it was a two-chapter tale – almost like a Fashion Face-to-Face, opening with the Versace by Fendi collection which featured all of the Versace signatures – the safety pins; the bold baroque prints on super short dresses, tops and swimwear as well as the sheared faux fur with the Fendi squares and the Versace print cut on it, the oversized shirts and shorts in men’s wear and the tote with the Medusa – as well as a tote bag with “Cleavage” he splashed to the side. But there were also some super chic dresses in solid black as well as a pale pink sequined lace number that Gianni himself could have created. And what would Versace be without the models, including Kate Moss, Esther Canadas, Amber Valletta and Shalom Harlow?

Jones bowed, the logos on the wall then switched from Versace to Fendi F and Donatella took her turn, adding a heavy dose of sexy to the brand with mini cropped shorts covered in the Fendi logo; mesh dresses; a 70s denim pantsuit with a bell bottom; Peekabos and Versace-ified chopsticks (including safety pins) and her parties – long shimmering pink and silver dresses worn by the part of Donatella models: Naomi Campbell, Mariacarla Boscono and Gigi Hadid.

Donatella then tilts alone, the models line up on the background in a total mix of the two collections then the two designers come out arm in arm.

The exchange goes to Fendi producing the Versace collection and vice versa. “It’s part of our strategy, a surprise – we want people to say ‘What? “” said Versace.

The project meant that each designer delved into the archives of the other brand. “We looked at the codes and the present,” Jones explained. “This is our interpretation of what we see. Fendi and Versace have this heritage, and young people get started by finding their parents’ clothes. Young girls are going to go completely crazy about it, ”he predicted.

“I was so proud when it came to [the Italian city] Novara to see the archives, all of Gianni’s work, ”Versace said. “I really wanted to show him. So many people see the photos but not the real clothes.

Jones agreed. “It was a big, big thing for me, I had only seen pictures. It was an honor for me. I did a lot of research on Gianni’s work since that’s where it all started, and I thought of ways to interpret it.

Asked to elaborate by shrugging his shoulders, he added: “It speaks to you, that’s all I can say. I don’t know how to describe my work in progress. I just do it, I think about it, then it evolves.

“And it was the same for me, I went to Fendi and [metaphorically] Karl, the Fendi family was there, ”Versace said. “The craftsmanship is incredible and that’s what fashion really is. Karl knew it. If you think fashion is a t-shirt with writing on it, that’s not true. But it’s not just about looking at the archives and clothes, it’s about having a conversation between us. It’s inspiring to talk to him.

“Fendi is very much about craftsmanship and what I saw in the Versace archives was about craftsmanship,” Jones said. “Here are two really amazing brands working together, two companies that don’t belong to the same group, it’s not about the money; we all love each other and Silvia feels exactly the same as I do about Donatella.

The two designers bristled at the idea that anyone could compare this project to the Gucci-Balenciaga hack last spring, dismissing the suggestion.

“It’s a new way of doing things, and it means trust and honesty,” Versace said. “I still want to move forward and it was a dream for me.”

“We’re both very open, we know things have to change and adapt, we’re realistic about what can happen and it was done quite quickly. We wanted to do it quickly in case someone else came up with the concept, ”Jones said, marveling at how much faster production in Italy than in France given the proximity of the pipeline.

When asked if other collections would follow, Jones declined to give a definitive answer. ” We do not know ; Let’s see how it goes. “

“I will miss him,” Versace said with a chuckle.

Was she surprised at the end result? “I never expected him to do for Versace,” she said with a laugh. “I was so happy when I saw the collection. It was a dream.”

“It was done out of love, and Silvia was also very fond of working with Versace’s codes on accessories because she’s been Fendi her whole life,” Jones said.

“She’s amazing; Silvia’s mother was Gianni’s best friend – it’s a long love affair,” Versace said.

“It’s nice to celebrate, we’ve all been through very difficult times recently. Paris dominates a lot of fashion so it’s nice to bring [the attention] back to Milan, ”Jones said. “It was a pure experience of joy, having the best time. I love my job, I love coming to Italy to experience it and the food – which is dangerous, ”he concluded with a smile.