DIGITAL RELIEF: FENDI GOES PHYSICAL, FUNDAMENTAL AND FAMILIAR WITH ITS AW23 MENSWEAR SHOW
Photo Matteo Canestraro, Zoe Joubert
08 feb 2023, for frame
Location
Via Andrea Solari, 35, 20144 Milano MI, Italy
Design
Brand
A ball-bearing track installation was suspended over the runway of Fendi’s AW23 menswear show and provided an experience rooted in the physical environment intended to provide relief from the domination of digitized show formats.
Key features
The Fendi AW23 menswear presentation took place at Fendi’s Milanese headquarters. The space includes a permanent installation, office areas, showrooms, and the runway theatre, which has hosted Fendi shows by Bureau Betak ever since. For the AW23 presentation, Bureau Betak created a minimalistic dark blue environment for a classic linear runway show which presented Silvia Venturini's latest menswear collection. A dark blue floor with silver specks reflected a large metal installation suspended over the heads of marching models: a ball-bearing track with moving marbles decorated in the Fendi logo. The larger-than-life size installation originated at the start of the runway and ran its entire length.
FRAME's take
The ball-bearing track of Fendi AW23 was intended to be thought-provoking for its spectators. One could wonder if the shiny metal marbles were a reference to disco balls alluding to the the 1970s, the same period that the collection’s dominant use of one-shoulder silhouettes draws on. But beyond clever subliminal messaging, the ball track provided rhythmic and synchronized movement. Such rolling ball sculptures are typically used in reception areas to provide customers with something to look at while they wait. The Fendi AW23 show reminds us that functional engineering spatial installations can deliver an unanticipated – yet familiar – experience in diverse settings without the reliance on digital aspects. The installation’s combination of art and physics provides relief from digitized fashion shows of previous seasons, creating on-site entertainment and an experience tied to being physically present at the show.