Fashion Friends: Could Kim Jones, who is interested in collaborations, create a project with her fashion friend Stefano Pilati?
According to market sources, the collaboration under discussion will be at Fendi, where Jones has already revealed projects with two designers with whom he is very friendly – Donatella Versace and Marc Jacobs.
It looks like the proposed merger could be unveiled as early as November.
Fendi officials could not immediately be reached for comment.
Best known for being the head of design for Yves Saint Laurent and Zegna, Pilati recently ventured into furniture design with his Berlin-based fashion collection Random Identities.
She is admired for her keen fashion sense, impeccable, innovative tailoring – and eye-catching shoes and handbags.
The dapper Italian designer walked Jones’ spring 2024 menswear show for Dior during Paris Fashion Week last June, and walked the runway for Pharrell Williams’ debut as menswear creative director at Louis Vuitton.
Stefano Pilati on Louis Vuitton’s Spring 2024 runway.
Giovanni Gianoni/WWD
Last fall, Pilati relaunched his Random Identities label after a two-year hiatus and lined up a like-minded distribution partner at Dover Street Market Paris.
Random Identities was groundbreaking when it first launched in 2018, initially as a joint venture with Canadian online retailer Ssense. Sexless, seasonless and luxurious, but at a contemporary price point, it appeals to the gay and club culture of Berlin, where Pilati based himself for a three-year hiatus after leaving Ermenegildo Zegna in 2016.
The designer is best known for succeeding Tom Ford at Yves Saint Laurent, where he served as creative director from 2004 to 2012. Early in her career, she worked in senior design and fabric development positions at several Italian design houses, including Miu Miu. , Prada and Giorgio Armani.
Jones, who signed on as Fendi’s artistic director of women’s haute couture, ready-to-wear and fur collections in September 2020, wasted little time in pursuing the collaboration, unveiling a full-scale brand swap with Versace in September 2021.
Last year, Fendi tapped Jacobs to create a women’s collection for spring 2023, and Tiffany & Co. for special baguette handbags. joined with