Fendi opens first Australian flagship

Fendi opened its first Australian flagship store in Melbourne, launching its retail presence in the nation outside a shopping mall or department setting.

Located on the prestigious Collins Street, the luxury label’s new Melbourne store takes up residence inside the historical Athenaeum club and has been designed in a contemporary and heritage aesthetic.

Plush pastel pink carpet, light coloured walls, metallic fixtures and mint velvet chairs are just some of the interior design style details.

The Melbourne store will offer women’s and men’s ready-to-wear collections, as well as accessories and leather goods; all designed by Fendi’s creative directors, Karl Lagerfeld and Silvia Venturini Fendi.

For the women, Fendi Melbourne will have an area for their bag and accessories collections, displayed on metal shelves with white and gold on the back wall.

In the store’s centre will lie the women’s ready-to-wear and shoes items, while the men’s area is nearby, featuring mocha walls, cork shelving and straw panels.

Fur tablets from the Italian brand archives and sketches by Karl Lagerfeld are also framed on the wall throughout the store.

Marking the Australian flagship launch, Fendi threw a party opening in store with Australian male supermodel Jordan Barrett and influencer Elsa Pataky attending the inauguration.

Fendi first opened two freestanding Australian stores in Sydney and Melbourne in 2016, opening in the heart of Sydney’s Westfield in the city centre, and in Melbourne’s luxury shopping hub, Chadstone.

Founded in Rome on Via del Plebiscito, Fendi was bowed by Edoardo and Adele Fendi in 1925.

Since 2001, the Italian brand has been a part of France’s LVMH Group, which controls more than 70 brands including Louis Vuitton, Dior and Hennessy cognac.