Fashion and craftsmanship meet hand in hand.
Fendi’s “Hand in Hand” initiative represents a milestone to celebrate the Maison’s commitment to Italian artisans who keep the precious traditional production techniques alive.
The project was presented by Fendi in 2020: the name alludes to the artisan culture that hands down the know-how “from hand to hand” within the shops. The processing of lace, brocade and metals: every Italian specialty was represented in the exhibition at the Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana from 1 November 2021 to 9 January 2022.
By celebrating these proud Made in Italy artisans, Fendi has promoted a living heritage and recognized talents too often left in the shadows. “Each bag is special because it is precisely the typical imperfections of craftsmanship that shape its intrinsic beauty. Fashion often focuses on the designer, but I think the time has come to pay homage to the community of artisans behind these extraordinary creations”said Silvia Venturini Fendi.
Within this project, the Baguette bag has become an exclusive tool to celebrate the excellence of Made in Italy craftsmanship: it has in fact been reinterpreted with local artisan techniques and offered in precious limited editions. The “Hand in Hand” initiative therefore involved a heterogeneous group of ateliers and laboratories to interpret the Baguette by putting their creativity into practice to transform the traditional construction of the bag into a real work of art. Twenty regions for twenty ways to reinterpret the iconic Baguette!
This is how the collaboration with EFFE-ERRE was born: in the small town of Campo Ligure, not far from the Riviera di Ponente, in fact, the ancient medieval tradition of filigree continues to be handed down to this day. Handmade in Liguria, entirely within the company, the Ligurian Baguette features a refined processing technique performed with very thin silver threads, interpreted in a contemporary key by EFFE-ERRE artisans.
Fendi’s proposal was in fact welcomed with enthusiasm by EFFE-ERRE, who never stopped dreaming and then transforming these dreams into reality, using only the expert hands of the filigree artists of Campo Ligure! Taking part in this initiative and creating a unique, elaborate and precious product like the Baguette Fendi, has allowed all those who created and admired it to breathe a magical atmosphere, immersing themselves in the roots of the Ligurian hinterland tradition.
For all those who have not had the opportunity to visit the exhibition organized in Rome, here is the interview given to the newspaper “Il Sole 24 Ore”, in which EFFE-ERRE answers questions on the meticulous medieval technique of processing silver filigree.