Fendi, Luxury Inside The Handbag and Out

Something opulent, something crafted to the highest spec, something beautiful and desirable. Exceptional materials, remarkable designs, complete with the depth of history and the modernity of now. These values mark the cornerstone of luxury. The handbag that speaks volumes without making a sound, the shoes that carry a bit higher, lighter. But sometimes luxury is a little more ephemeral and magnetic. It is also a state of mind; it can be the confidence of being part of something bigger than ‘self’, maybe a familial connection passed down, the air of self-belief that comes with connection. Find out here how the Fendi sisters have this quality in bucket-loads and how they have now bottled this into a new dynamic fragrance collection here in Fendi, Luxury Inside The Handbag and Out.

Photo on left by Hijab Hanif

Elegance, luxury, individuality and enjoyment encompass both material goods and personal experiences, providing us with a sense of indulgence and pleasure. Both, a set of values.

For a woman, maybe the touch of a silk scarf, a signal to the self of appreciation; the power handbag that gently wafts its leather perfection when held, sometimes as amour. Then there is the sisterhood, one woman to another, the acknowledgement between each, infecting each other with comfort and confidence.

Take the handbag these sisters carry, a quintessentially refined statement, a staple of elegance and style. Effervescent, dynamic, wafting its leather elegance, alongside the scent secreted inside from the bottled elixir.

Renowned for its elegance, craftsmanship, innovation and style, the Italian family-run House of Fendi have added a fragrance collection called the Fendi Collection. The group includes seven exquisite fragrances inspired by the close-knit, female-led Fendi family, each scent a blend of rich and evocative ingredients.

The house of Fendi was established by Adele and Edoardo Fendi in Rome in 1925 as a handbag shop and fur workshop. Passed on by a dynamic mother to her daughters, the five sisters, Paola, Anna, Franca, Carla, and Alda, each played a crucial role in transforming their parents’ leather and fur goods shop into the globally recognised luxury brand.

This matriarch, Adele Casagrande, after the passing of her husband, Edoardo Fendi, had the five daughters take over running the house. Each began to branch off and contribute to the company based on their creative inclinations, bringing dynamic new facets to the House of Fendi.

And still, to this day, it has never been run by a man; always been the sisters, daughters, granddaughters, and great-granddaughters of this woman-dominated family tree.

As Fendi marks its 100th anniversary, the Maison brings a new fragrance collection to life. Inspired by hypnotic beauty, each scent is crafted to evoke cherished memories and reflect the distinct female personalities within the Fendi sisterhood.

Now the third and fourth generations weave olfactory stories of the family lives and loves through the medium of perfume, melded with the finest raw materials and world-renowned perfumer noses such as Anne Flipo, Quentin Bisch, and Fanny Bal.

Seven bottled juices created by some of the finest noses are now available, each telling a perspective of the familial females of the clan.

The seventh elixir has only just landed. Meet Eaux d’Artifice and an ode to Delfina Delettrez Fendi, jewellery designer and fourth-generation Fendi daughter.

A celebration of the copious fonts in Italy, but specifically her nighttime view of the most famous fountain in Rome, the Trevi Fountain, making this a celebration of cascading waters. A meeting of the power and fireworks of a fountain and its opposite, the water that springs alive from it

The Tevi Fountain is famous not just as a perfect meeting of stone and water. It is the largest Baroque fountain in the city and one of the most famous fountains in the world. Known also for the coins thrown alongside murmured wishes and the times it has been seen on celluloid, and caught in poems. So this juice is, of course, a mineral and aquatic scent with sensual and musky whispers.

It opens with a Juniper essence, which offers a crisp, clean, and refreshing cooling breeze feel to the top with hints of a pine forest. Think of the fresh spray of water escaping energetically from the fountain. This freshness is accented by a Mineral note of stone, where the cool, ‘wet’, meets the pattern of Marble.

The heart is where the metallic notes meld with both the freshness and cool. Here, it’s the coins thrown into this monument that bring true the wishes of lovers from around the globe. But also a reminder that Delfina Delettrez Fendi is a jewellery designer, and so hints of metal on skin are brought to the fore via soft Metallic notes.

The finale is a crescendo of woods that warm, that lay a hint of spice, rounding off the magic via Mediterranean Cypress essence. This serves as a reminder of the nature of this most loved, emblematic place, and a historic city.

Many essences mull together in this fragrance created by the perfumer magician Jérôme di Marino. He crafted and melded unusual ingredients to create a fresh take on an ancient ‘city birthmark’.

‘Perfume, like jewellery, is a silent accessory that sends messages about who we are or who we want to be.‘

Delfina Delettrez Fendi.

So, as for the other six in the collection, which notes merge with each woman?

Casa Grande is a Leather fragrance, a celebration of Adele Casa Grande. Launched in 2024, with the nose behind it being Quentin Bisch. Think of this scent as a celebration of a workshop, where leather and the warmth of fur mingle. It opens with a fruity Cherry liquor note of the perfumer’s creation, followed by a soft, smoky note via Incense oil of Somalian origin and wraps up at the end with another note created by the perfumer of earthy animalic leather.

Ciao Amore is inspired by Leonetta Luciano Fendi, Silvia’s second daughter, meaning Hello, my love. Created with the perfumer Fanny Bal, it’s an evocation of Ponza, the island between Rome and Naples where the family spends its summers. This restful paradise is the largest island of the Italian Pontine Islands, with volcanic rock and its turquoise Mediterranean waters, alongside its hot, dry summers.

Evoking this spirit, the perfume opens with bright light via Orange blossom absolute with a rich, deep heart of Fig leaf bringing its facets of fresh green, slightly bitter, and subtly floral notes, with softly grassy and earthy notes. The finish is creamy warmth via Tonka bean.

Dolce Bacio was launched in 2024, with the nose behind it being Anne Flipo. Dolce Bacio is inspired by Anna Fendi, daughter of Adele, and its meaning is a sweet kiss on the cheek. Think of that moment of daughter and mother, the smear of a Rose-scented lipstick mark left by the loving parent. The Sose is named after Anna Fendi, so think of an ochre-coloured sky at dawn in the heart of Rome’s Rose garden.

A garden overlooking the city, green and floral, woody and earthy. Opening with the sparkle of a sweet, sunny Apricot and the dry, smoky accents of Indonesian patchouli. In the middle of the accord, Damascene Rose from Turkey, powerful and velvety, ample and embracing. Finalising in the earthy echoes of Patchouli with that soft, powdery kiss.

Probably the most famous bag created by Fendi is the La Baguette,  now also a fragrance launched in 2024. The nose behind this fragrance is Anne Flipo. La Baguette: Sophisticated simplicity meets the signature bag. Here, a celebration of the absolutely addictive allure of suede and leather. The skin on the skin, if you like.

A floral, powdery Iris from France imbues it with the sophistication of the iconic bag. Behind it, a Madagascar Vanilla: the indulgence of a sweet dessert, a pleasure to share. Uniting them, a sensual, velvety Leather note. Wheat blond like Delfina Delettrez Fendi’s twin sons.

Perche No is a Woody fragrance launched in 2024. The nose behind this fragrance is the great Quentin Bisch. Perche no, is inspired by Sylvia Fendi, a third-generation woman of the Fendi family and creator of the iconic Baguette and Peekaboo bags.

She repeats “Perqueno” over and over again because nothing is impossible with Fendi. Its meaning, Why not? The joyous freshness of a clean white sheet, vital and alive.

Pink Pepper berries bring a freshness, with a hint of warm spice, alongside a lightly smoked note via Incense, all wrapped with soft Sandalwood.

And finally comes Sempre Mio, meaning mine forever, which was launched in 2024, with the nose being Quentin Bisch. Inspired by Delfina Deletrez Fendi, the eldest daughter of Sylvia, the fourth generation of the Fendi family, and a celebration of the freshness of Orange blossom Lemonade and the warmth of Atlas Cedar.

So far, yet so near. As far away as the Atlas foothills, the Ourika valley, just outside Marrakech. The emotional treasure of Delfina Delettrez Fendi, who recounts her childhood memories of a land where she feels she belongs. And a statement of herself as the woman she is.

‘I wanted to talk about who I am, where I come from. Sempre Mio is an intimate journey. It is the woman I am, it’s the way I define myself.’

Delfina Delettrez Fendi

Find fresh and sparkling Calabrian Bergamot, that opens with a bold ‘I AM’, partnering with the gentle floral joy of Orange blossom absolute. Its finale, a warm hint of Moroccan Atlas Cedar melding into an earthy, luminous cologne. Gentle yet strong, soft yet powerful.

Each of these bottles of magic; a story, a facet of a female within one magnetic family. Opulent, crafted, beautiful and desirable. Exceptional materials, remarkable designs, meet with the energy of the feminine, the depth of ancestry and the modernity of each new generation. A journey of genesis weaved with scented love

Find out all the details of the Fendi Collection here at Fendi.com.

If you enjoyed reading Fendi, Luxury Inside The Handbag and Out, then why not read Eight Love Stories Through the Food of India Here

.Cent Magazine London; Luxury Minded