Somewhere between a Man Ray painting and a constructivist tower stands the S/S13 Fendi heel: a 10cm cubic pylon of silicone rubber, constructed from stacked coloured blocks...
Somewhere between a Man Ray painting and a constructivist tower stands the S/S13 Fendi heel: a 10cm cubic pylon of silicone rubber, constructed from stacked coloured blocks.
Continuing last season's cut-paste aesthetic of multiple layers and contrasting fabrics (fur and leather, silk and rubber), each leather shoe features an armadillo-esque front of overlapping neoprene, climbing towards the ankle strap. Open-toed, they came in bright De Stijl block colours, as well as metallic and pastel tones.
"Continuing last season's cut-paste aesthetic of multiple layers and contrasting fabrics, each leather shoe features an armadillo-esque front of overlapping neoprene...'
The heel also comes in Lucite plastic, and the coloured inserts can be removed at leisure. They have created a specialist lego-like heel that can be hand-altered to determine height. Along with the DIY paint-it-yourself Baguette, Fendi invites us to reach a small hand into their design world and create for ourselves, within the skilled perimeters of Silvia Fendi and Karl Lagerfeld.
The S/S13 collection is a modernistic approach of luxurious clean lines and bold proportions. Honey-comb embossment on a dress echoes the rubik squares of the heel, while the neoprene bridge fronting the shoe references the layered panels of a skirt.
As with the intention of the artistic post-war movements, Fendi’s geometric abstraction provides a futuristic severity, pieced together with playful optimism.
Text by Mhairi Graham
