It looks like the “Less I, more us” philosophy that marked Maria Grazia Chiuri’s debut at Fendi earlier this year was more than a mere seasonal manifesto. It’s the approach she’s bringing to the Roman house — the engine that moves her creative juices, sets the tempo of her everyday work at the company and ultimately marks the aesthetic she has in mind for the brand, deeply rooted in the concept of a shared wardrobe.

Offering WWD a preview of her first Fendi pre-collection, Chiuri said the best part of her job is working in the studio hand-in-hand with the teams and ateliers “to experiment and create new things.”

“The part you don’t see is actually the most stimulating one, the one that really allows you to start over every time because in the end it’s all about experimenting…and taking an inspiration and see if you can turn it into an idea that is also functional,” the designer said.

Enter this season’s study on parchment, one of the brand’s signature materials. Historically linked to luggage-making, for cruise 2027 it was reprised not only in an iteration of the Baguette bag profiled with studded black leather but also served as inspiration for clothing. Its neutral hue was evoked in wardrobe staples spanning from three-piece suits to crisp trenchcoats with black detailing.

“We reedited that Baguette that I really loved…taking it back to the origins,” Chiuri said. “The Baguette marked an era. Many think it’s because it was trending [at a certain point] but in truth it’s a very peculiar project, because it stems from the ability to bring together ateliers with different backgrounds, so leather goods and clothing,” she said, pointing as example to the many iterations of the design, from beaded embellishments to embroidered versions.

She enthused particularly about the latest rendition. “The parchment is actually a material that fits better for suitcases, because it’s rigid and must be worked with water. It’s complex, so much so that the first Baguette had a rather limited success…but with our team we managed to recreate it with an extremely soft leather, more suited to that type of bag,” Chiuri said. “Then my challenge was also to bring this color on fabrics, too, from silk to cashmere. And again, we managed to get the shades we wanted via yarns. There’s a great deal of work and of different teams to be able to adapt this across different categories.”

Chiuri’s résumé traces her hands-on approach, and this sophomore Fendi collection continued to cement the functional and straight-to-the-point quality of her work via wearable yet versatile silhouettes, encompassing handsome tailoring, 1920s-flavored frocks, evening column dresses, pleated skirts and workwear-winking separates.

For Chiuri, such a pragmatic attitude clicks with the history of Fendi, which traces back to 1925, during Modernism, “for which it was essential to create beautiful objects but functional at the same time.” Even more specifically, it fits with the legacy of founder Adele Fendi and her daughters Carla, Anna, Paola, Franca, and Alda Fendi.

“Let’s not forget this company was established by women who worked minimum eight hours per day, and then had a social life, so they used to get dressed and go out directly, without a change of clothes,” Chiuri said. “The reference of the Fendi women and men are people who work, who have a real life, who move. It’s a bourgeoise.”

Her tenure at the Roman house seeks to address such an audience, providing them with realistic yet artisanal pieces hinged on two pillars. First, offering options that transcend seasonality, that can be combined across collections and seamlessly blend in one’s closet. Second, enhancing the tactile quality of clothes by playing with textures and studying the way they interact with the body to infuse a sense of lightness and sensuality, which Chiuri sees as intrinsic features of the brand. 

“I stressed a lot on this aspect,” said the designer, addressing how tactility is key for a company that originated from the world of furs. “And from there, there’s also this sense of durability of the product that for me is extremely important.”

Cue the strong outerwear, comprising trenchcoats constructed with fur stripes and punctuated with studs; patchwork coats, and fur-trimmed vests with a folk vibe. Chiuri also focused on knitwear to convey a sense of ease, as seen in feather-light evening gowns peaking from under sturdier pieces, such as a fire red look that popped in the otherwise mainly dark collection.

“I really find an affinity between knits and furs. Knitwear is extremely soft, durable, easy to use; you are free to move and travel with it,” said Chiuri, highlighting that their simple appearance also conceals complexities, as seen in the knitted frocks minimizing stitching or treated in ways to mimic the lightweight effect of chiffon. “So I wanted to bring these aspects of the Fendi heritage and express them with materials that maybe were not so central in its [ready-to-wear],” the designer said.

Ditto for the restrained color palette. To keep the focus on textures and silhouettes, she bet big on black and the parchment-inspired hues, occasionally disrupted with touches of red, avio blue, metallics and animal patterns.

The color scheme contributed to enhance the noir vibe of the moody short movie the brand developed to present the collection. Titled “Oltre lo Specchio,” or “Beyond the Mirror” in English, the cinematic project is a nod to Jacques de Bascher’s “Histoire d’Eau,” a 1977 film commissioned by Karl Lagerfeld to launch the first ready-to-wear collection designed for Fendi.