Disco is far from its ‘last dance’ thanks to fashion designer Kim Jones’ latest works
Walking under glistening arches was Kim Jones’ sophomore collection for the Italian luxury label Fendi. His spring-summer 2022 runway show took fashion savants on a groovy time travel with pieces that paid homage to the beauty of the ’70s. Boogie Nights, the rise of feminism, and the “make love, not war” slogan were some of the things that make the ’70s an unforgettable era. There’s a sense of bravery with people marching down the streets demanding equality, glamor and disco reigned supreme in places like Studio 54, and a thriving art scene with pieces that merge pop culture and social causes. All of those represent how Jones sees the way women will dress in the future, and by looking at what he presented, it is a good guess that we’re all in for it.
With the fashion house’s former design leader, the late Karl Lagerfeld, as his invisible guide, Kim excavated from the archives a logo hand-sketched by visionary fashion illustrator Antonio Lopez, which offered the starting point for a collection that draws upon the artist’s liberated sensibility and Studio 54 surroundings.
“While I’ve been looking at Karl’s legacy at the house, I’ve also been looking around him, at his contemporaries—at who he was interested in,” Jones explained. “Lopez was a friend of Karl’s, and has always been someone who inspired me. He was forward-thinking; inclusive; looked up to by everyone from Andy Warhol to Steven Meisel and David Hockney. I wanted to introduce him to a new generation.”
His collection, in collaboration with The Estate and Archive of Antonio Lopez and Juan Ramos, started off with tailored pieces that combine the subtle allure of the decade’s dressing with the contemporary needs of today’s woman-on-the-go. A series of neutral pieces stormed the runway with draped fabrics and fringes and fur elements, much like the shag rug. And like a light passing through a prism, candy-colored pieces followed next highlighting the artist’s gestural brushstrokes appear in elegant abstraction across kaftans and silken shirting. His figurative drawings translated into intarsia leathers, intricately engineered lace, and shimmering jacquards, ending the show with major drama.
Adding to the display of beauty were the fashion house’s classic canvas bags. The Baguette presented a tapestry-woven into a rainbow while the Peekaboo was transformed into a graphic artwork. Giving the muse a dose of sparkle were enamel hair accessories mirroring Lopez’s lilies and plexiglass hoops and degrade metals, offering a tropical touch imbued with decadence.
“This is my first live show for Fendi, and it’s a celebration,” Jones said. “Our woman has let loose a bit—she’s going out, dressing up. We’ve all been locked away for so long that I think that’s what we all need right now. My Fendi is multigenerational. It’s for all different kinds of women—anyone who wants to feel good about themselves. The Lopez woman, and the Fendi woman, is empowered. She’s someone of her own making.”
Watch Fendi’s spring-summer 2022 runway show here: