Fab Furs on Tour

Created between the 1970s and the present, the iconic furs from luxury Roman brand Fendi are now on display in Fendi – Un Art Autre, a travelling exhibition that has made its first pit stop at the Tokyo University of the Arts.

Named after the term “Un Art Autre (Art of Another Kind)” — coined by French critic Michel Tapié in the early 1950s to describe the postwar revolution in European art — the month-long exhibition not only gives the public a comprehensive look into Fendi’s rich heritage and skilled craftsmanship, but celebrates its unbridled innovations in fashion.

Held within The University Art Museum, the multi-sensory showcase is spread across three spaces. In the first, viewers are introduced to the fashion house’s period of growth and experimentation from the mid-1960s to today. Next, they are plunged into a fur-tastic world where 24 Fendi furs are displayed alongside the brand’s statement Baguette and Peek-A-Boo bags, as well as actual sketches and workmanship tablets from the archives. In the third and final environment, viewers are then able to witness first-hand a special demonstration of Fendi’s elaborate (some say, magical) fur wear production.

Curated by Emanuela Nobile Mino, an Italian art historian and critic, in collaboration with the Tokyo University of the Arts, the exhibition opened on April 3 and will draw to a close on April 29. In true flamboyant Fendi fashion, a glitzy press preview was also held on the evening of April 2, with media, style and celebrity A-listers in attendance to celebrate the brand’s artistic and creative accomplishments.