Freed From Gender, Fendi's Peekaboo Still Epitomizes Artisan Craft
In the pantheon of Fendi bags, the graceful Peekaboo stands tall. Since current menswear artistic director Silvia Venturini Fendi premiered the bag in 2008, the Peekaboo has become Fendi's signature accessory, epitomized by luxe textiles and a clever design.
Although it was initially designated a women's bag, the Peekaboo transcends gender. Its Spring/Summer 2022 collection includes offerings for both men and women, with a few key facets that edge a few variants closer to being an out-and-out men's accessory. Really, though, the Peekaboo is for everyone.
The Peekaboo's name comes from the hidden internal "face" that's only revealed when the bag is unlocked, a quiet reference to the children's game of the same name.
This transformation is perhaps the clearest reflection of the bag's intelligent construction, which goes down to the stitching.
Rich with details that can't be perceived from studying photos alone, the Peekaboo deserves a closer look. So, Fendi peeled back the Peekaboo's sumptuous layers for Highsnobiety, diving into the bag's artisanal craft.
We started with a look at with some of the seasonal materials applied to the Peekaboo ISeeU, a more angular, compact Peekaboo debuted on the Fall/Winter 2020 runway as both a men's and women's bag.
Specifically, for SS22, the Peekaboo ISeeU has been reimagined with Econyl, an eco-conscious regenerated nylon. Make no mistake, though, these bags are as luxe as the classic Peekaboo bags.
Fendi selected pale hues to best complement the SS22 ready-to-wear, simultaneously highlighting the Econyl's matte finish that's a sober counterpart to the silver hardware.
Medium and mini Peekaboo ISeeU bags have also been issued in classic grained leather that's tinged an earthy hue to align with the ready-to-wear's beige motif.
Like all of Fendi's leather Peekaboos, these iterations are finished with what Fendi refers to as "Selleria Macro Stitching."
"It’s a special thicker waxed thread stitched by hand in the iconic Selleria process," said Fendi. "In men’s, a tone-on-tone thread is used on the body of the bag, resulting in an elegant design."
Selleria stitching also graces the crown jewels of Fendi's Spring/Summer 2022 Peekaboo bag collection, two black editions finished in "Cuoio Romano" leather.
"Cuoio Romano," which literally translates as "Roman leather," is the designation for an exclusive Fendi fabrication.
It's a type of "natural leather exclusive to FENDI, always used on our highest products," continued Fendi. "The name is a tribute to the FENDI’s roman origins, used since the beginning locally to craft leather equestrian accessories (like the Selleria stitching technique)."
With this in mind, it's not unfair to consider the Peekaboo a living monument of Fendi's legacy, iterated for the current day. I see you, Peekaboo.
