Unforgettable Carla Fendi

It's almost impossible to describe the volcano of a woman that was Carla Fendi. She was the Fashion Iron Lady.

I was lucky enough to work with her for a while and, having experienced many Company founders, Ceos and family in the past 20 years, I can tell that she was truly unique and she will be unforgettable.

Carla Fendi was a very tough boss, a woman totally dedicated to the Company her parents founded last century therefore very demanding. But also very inspiring.

About what?

1. Women Power in Fashion. Once she said "we had

to work twice as hard as men to establish ourselves". She

had no fear in working to reach her own personal

objectives and the ones of the Fendi brand. She was

passionate and tireless. She always believed that the sky

is the limit and that being a woman is a great

opportunity. She was the fourth of five sisters and deeply

close to her mother. She felt second to none and acted

like that. 

2. Networking, networking, networking. She was a true

friend to many artists, designers, movie producers and

stars. The dearest picture I remember is the one at the

photo gallery at the last floor of Bergdorf Goodman in

New York where she was with Diana Vreeland. She was

great friend to all the movie stars from Woody Allen to

Sofia Lauren and Dino De Laurentis among many

others and this allowed Fendi to develop amazing

costumes for unforgettable movies.

3. Avant-garde. Carla and her sisters appointed a young

Karl Lagerfeld as Fendi designer in 1965. The

collaboration lasts since 52 years. Much before than

Chanel. Avant-garde anyone else?

4. Don’t care about your limits. Focus on your talents.

Carla Fendi was a super talented high-end PR. She used

her talents to grow the brand reputation and to increase

the visibility. She focused all herself on the mission of

her life and, despite the disposal of the Company, she

decided to stay close and to continue endorsing the

Brand in every possible way.

5. Passion for Fashion. She was elegant and eccentric. She

loved pajamas, platform shoes, mail order catalogues,

bulky jewellery and bold colours. She developed her

unique style during the years and she also enjoyed a TV

impersonator to whom she was used to send flowers.

6. It's not a matter of influencers supporting your Brand,

it's a matter of how influent you are to make your Brand a

Star brand yourself.

I can also say that it doesn’t exist a rose without thorns but, at the end, what matters the most is the global picture made of passion, sacrifice, perseverance,commitment, engagement and, like Franca Sozzani, a smile. 

We cannot forget Carla Fendi smile. She was an Iron Lady, iron fist in a velvet glove.

Unforgettable, in every way.

Susanna Nicoletti is a Marketing and Communication senior professional and advisor in the Fashion and Luxury industry.