Karl gets bored very easily: Silvia Venturini Fendi

She is known as the creator of the first 'It' bag. Silvia Venturini Fendi, even today continues being a trendsetter. In a chat, she reveals about her fashion beginnings, working with Karl Lagerfeld and what makes Fendi so successful.

The Fendi monster bag and Karlito became cult accessories. What was the story behind them?
I gave Karl Lagerfeld this little doll and called it Karlito. At Fendi, we call him, Karlito. In the morning, Karl had this idea to give it to Cara (Delevingne)and she went out with Karlito. It was a little present. For the little monster — we were working on a collection and the idea came about when we were exploring the concept of fun fur of 70s. I remember I wanted to play with fur. I was previously travelling to Brazil and was inspired by my friend's parrots.

Were you inclined towards design since childhood?
Looking back I can see I was not interested in school. I was keen to go and see my mom who was working. I'd always find an excuse to see Lagerfeld when he was coming from Paris. I liked behind the scenes working. When you can play with real fabrics and bags. Fendi boutique had evening bags, blacks, beige, white — I watched what they had sold. Nothing escaped my eyes.

What are the challenges faced by the brand?
Fendi has 90 years of history behind. What's important is to keep the tradition and make it relevant and to project the house in a new dimension. In 1965, my mom started working with Lagerfeld. I learnt a lot. We are a traditional company but modern and contemporary at the same time.

How is it working with Lagerfeld?
Every time I see him it's a bit like the first time. He gets bored very easily. He likes to work with a very fresh eye. We share a very deep and strong relationship. He lives in Paris and we live in Milan. Every time he comes I like to see his reaction and see the standard in his eyes.

Is there a recipe to your creative process?
There's no recipe. It's important to come out with the right thing at the right moment. You are never satisfied. All creative people feel they are missing something. Baguette was so special. I realised it was time to get out of the fashion crowd and create something which wasn't there. It was a manifestation of Italy. It was a huge success and everyone started to go into accessories, even designers who weren't into accessories. It was time to go back to the roots — treating bags with skills which only leather maker would do and came out with peekaboo with a surprise element. Peekaboo was a reaction to baguette. So our reaction is — never rest. You have to come out with the right thing at the right moment. Something that's needed and something that represents Fendi.

Any mistake you made, you'd like to dwell on?
When I started doing menswear — it was very directional. I was focusing more on fashion shows and less on men's product. Today menswear is a huge success. It's important to slow down and rethink. Fendi menswear is related to quality of textiles — sometimes the inside is more interesting than the outside.

What is the new technology at Fendi?
We deal with fur which was the first human garment — historical material. It's revolutionary in that area. We were the first one to experiment with fur. This material is so organic and old and like to mix with technique and change the reality of the material. We started dyeing and printing furs. We like to use our hands a lot which is also related to Rome. Every street there is related to a particular technique.

What makes Fendi such a success?
You have to keep your DNA intact and not watch competitors too much. Be true to yourself and your roots. Today it's a good moment for us, the success of monsters. We're so light hearted. Before the advent of social media, you only expected the judgement from fashion crowd. Today you have immediate reactions from the public and customers. It puts pressure on you, but you also know what people like. Very soon people may want to buy immediately after the show. Social media has made fashion faster and faster.