The sweet smell of high fashion: Fendi x Francis Kurkdjian

I want to kick off the first article of 2020 by wishing you all a Happy New Year! I hope you are well and had a great break over the festive period, creating invaluable memories with your loved ones! Although memories stay with you for eternity, there is a tendency for some of them to fade over the course of your life and be put aside by more recent events that may occur. A topic I have always found very interesting is how the fusion of fragrances can not only be used on a daily basis to create and enhance various emotions, but how they can also be used as a medium to re-ignite old memories or emotions connected to those memories. The fragrance industry is realising the huge value in such products and the sector is moving towards personalised fragrances that are uniquely adapted to the consumers.

One way consumers can showcase their individuality is through the way they portray themselves with clothing and accessories. The fashion industry has rapidly grown over the past decade with social media being an integral part of society today. As a result, fashion houses are continually striving to be ahead of their competitors by innovating new products and reinventing products from the past to keep up with consumer trends. Fendi, an Italian luxury fashion house was founded in 1925 by Adele and Edoardo Fendi. Now part of the LVMH group, the house is renowned for its “elegance, craftsmanship, creativity and style” in accessories and leather goods.

Launched 22 years ago, the iconic baguette handbag has been a creative canvas for the brand, progressing through more than 1000 versions. The bag is a manifesto of individuality and developing a scented version, would make it even more special and unique. According to Serge Brunsch, the latest incarnation is a collaboration with Maison Francis Kurkdjian, to create the FendiFrenesia Baguette. This cutting-edge bag utilises three sensual dimensions: smell, sight and touch. It captures its olfactory personality, whilst maintaining its visual beauty and luxurious quality. The fruits of this collaboration created a new sensory dimension to fashion, that has left a significant disruptive noise in the industry.

Maison Francis Kurkdjian was established in 2009 by Francis Kurkdjian, a world renowned, multi-award winning perfumer who has created iconic fragrances such as Miracle pour homme (Lancôme), Le Mâle (Jean Paul Gaultier), Cologne Blanche (Dior) and My Burberry (Burberry). The collaboration with Fendi gave rise to a unique unisex Eau de Parfum (FendiFrenesia), which captures leathery and musky notes to embody the richness of the Selleria leather perfectly. In the process of generating such a fragrance a special leather-scenting technique that holds fragrance for up to four years was founded and patented by the fragrance house. One may think what happens to the sweet smell of the baguette after four years? Well you don’t need to worry as the baguette comes with a small aliquot of FendiFrenesia to ensure the ongoing presence of the scent. I want to end this article by asking you all what you think the next big collaboration will be in the fashion industry? I would love to hear your thoughts! Feel free to reach out to me on Instagram @areeb.my or by email.

I hope you enjoyed this week’s bulletin, and I hope all of you have a great week!

Areeb Mahtey

Men’s Director

Cambridge University Fashion and Luxury Business