Maria Grazia Chiuri presents her first Couture collection for FENDI

For her first Couture collection for FENDI, Fall/Winter 26-27, Maria Grazia Chiuri envisions the innocent and sensual freedom—free of malice—of a German girl wandering through Rome in the late 1970s, as depicted in that archeological treasure trove of fashion films known as Histoire d’eau (an ironic evocation of Pauline Réage’s Histoire d’O): by Jacques De Bascher, commissioned by Karl Lagerfeld for his first ready-to-wear collection at FENDI in 1977.

Credits Fendi press office

It’s a comforting couture collection featuring sheer fabrics, contemporary embroidery, clean lines, and minimal embellishments; Chiuri infuses the word “desire” with sensuality, eroticism, and freedom. And then there’s pleasure.

The collection flatters the body. These are garments that do not constrain, but move to the rhythm of gestures—sometimes bold, sometimes restrained. They glide over the body, caressing it: they are as light as the black-and-white striped chiffon pieces. The kimono silhouette for jackets and coats for both women and men becomes a statement of fluid style, in fabrics such as velvet and grain de poudre. Without any constraints. Like the dress that sculpts the body—without a corset, solely through the use of draping.

Chiuri fosters dialogue among the various ateliers. These are living entities—hubs that bring together different workshops—where knowledge and skills interact and evolve in a collaborative environment that constantly reimagines the magical yet scientific language of couture. A series of pieces is crafted through the art of subtraction: fur becomes a feather—black and white stripes held in place by tulle. A fur-clad Venus strides forward, sensual and playful. Tulle also forms the structure of cloaks and capes traced with arabesques that transform into leaves, feathers, and flowers made of leather, fur, and fabric. On the men’s shoulders, it serves as a covering, a shelter, a hut: the variety of fur can evoke butterflies. Leather traces labyrinths on the white of a double-breasted cashmere coat. The designer interprets her role as an expression of a broad, boundless vision, in which couture can be the most contemporary form of sartorial experimentation—a dialogue that listens to the bodies and minds that inhabit it.

Credits Fendi Press Office