Fendi might have been born in Rome but its 2024 Spring/Summer menswear collection was inspired by the actual Fendi factory, which is tucked away just outside of Florence. The collection and its new campaign, starring actors Kuanghan Hsu, Massimiliano Caiazzo, and Jeremy Pope, is as much an ode to workwear as it is a celebration of the maison's history of quality workmanship.
Authenticity is key, Pope told Highsnobiety. The second he settled into his front-row seat at the Fendi factory runway back in June 2023, his heart started working overtime. Everything that hit the catwalk was so wearable, so quietly opulent, so Jeremy Pope.
Fendi’s SS24 menswear line was, as always, designed by Silvia Venturini Fendi, whom Pope spent three hours chatting with when they first met. "She’s great, 10/10 beautiful human," he said.
Pope walked in the show and said that while he was up-close with the looks, he couldn’t help but admire each and every garment.
From the denim jackets and leather aprons to the mesh polo shirts and intarsia-knit track suits, it all highlighted the ethos of the “Fendi man,” he said, by being “unapologetically authentic” in their embrace of both “classic elegance and contemporary edge.”
"To me, Fendi is a living legacy," Pope continued. " It’s more than a brand but a statement. It represents a blend of timeless and modern elegance, and is a celebration of personal style that transcends boundaries."
In particular, Pope cites Fendi's menswear as "changing the narrative" in menswear, upsetting the conventional lines of staple pieces like blazers and slacks with crisp fabrication and effortless drape.
Flowy maxi shirts, leather cargo pants, A-line trenches, and bags that resemble little satchels, like the kind a factory worker might use for packing his lunch, inform the hardiness of Fendi SS24. Actual work belts are here, but so are oversized silk shirts, a balance of soft and hard.
The hardware motifs that occur throughout keep the collection unified.
Pope, who's set to star as Jean-Michel Basquiat in the upcoming movie The Collaboration, was awed by Fendi SS24 the second he saw it himself.
“When I’m sitting at shows, I’ll only take photos of looks that speak to me," he said. "I remember after the [Fendi SS24] show I had taken a photo of just about every look that walked the runway.”
Pope added, “It was really beautiful to see what they had done with challenging the male silhouette in necklines and fabric, yet keeping it timeless by elevating the approach of ‘work attire.
As good as the collection itself was, though, the location made it all the more better. "To be in the factory and feel the love and care that the brand upholds through the staff was also really special.” Maybe one day they'll bring Jeremy Pope onboard, too.
