Fendi wil soon have a new creative director The short-list of the potential candidates includes Maria Grazia Chiuri, Francesco Risso and Willy Chavarria

Silvia Venturini Fendi is no longer the creative director of the brand bearing her name. The Roman designer, a third-generation member of the founding family, will henceforth take on the role of honorary president, relinquishing the artistic leadership she has held (at least for menswear and accessories) for over three decades. This decision marks the end of an era and, more importantly, opens the door to increasingly persistent rumors about her successor: the general betting seems to favor Maria Grazia Chiuri, another creative director with Roman roots and naturally familiar to LVMH’s management, boasting an excellent sales track record, with her refined aesthetic potentially making perfect sense for the Roman brand. According to WWD sources, however, some insiders even suggest a creative direction might be entrusted to Francesco Risso – though these appear to be less reliable rumors. Also, Willy Chavarria could be at the center of advanced discussions, according to insiders.

Since 1992, Venturini Fendi has collaborated side by side with Karl Lagerfeld in the brand’s artistic direction before taking the helm of menswear and accessories in 1994, the year she created the legendary Baguette bag and the Peekaboo, arguably the original it-bags and the brand’s best-sellers for decades. This year, during the house’s 100th-anniversary celebrations, Venturini Fendi temporarily also took over the direction of women’s collections, stepping in for Kim Jones, who had left the helm of haute couture, ready-to-wear, and fur collections for women in October 2024. Her latest runway, showcased last week in Milan for SS26, indeed carried the grandeur of a farewell. Nonetheless, it’s certain that the designer won’t remain idle in her new role.

These changes are not isolated: Fendi is undergoing a profound restructuring at the top. Ramon Ros, the maison’s president and CEO, who took office on July 1 after leading Louis Vuitton in mainland China, has replaced Pierre-Emmanuel Angeloglou, who moved to deputy CEO of Christian Dior Couture in April. The primary hypothesis is that, with the handovers completed at Dior, Louis Vuitton, and Celine, LVMH now aims to stabilize one of its most historic brands, whose commercial performance is certainly solid but not on par with the mega-pop brands mentioned above. This is likely why Palazzo Fendi was opened with much fanfare here in Milan, clearly awaiting a shift that could reignite excitement and anticipation around the Roman brand – an object of great reverence but lacking in hype.