At first glance, Fendi, the Roman fashion house, and Red Wing, the Minnesota boot maker, might seem like an unlikely pair.
But it turns out the storied brands, which made headlines with their runway collaboration at Fendi’s Milan Fashion Week show on Tuesday, share many commonalities. They’re both family businesses. Craftsmanship is at the heart of their designs. And they’ve each achieved the kind of longevity that is rare in today’s fashion world.
As Fendi looks ahead to its centennial in 2025, artistic director Kim Jones looked back to its beginnings — with a glamorous 1920s-inspired collection full of retro silhouettes and art-deco flourishes. In an unexpected move, the designer paired his silk tea dresses and slips with Red Wing’s classic Moc boot, putting a modern and unexpected spin on classic looks.
“We put Red Wings (on the models) and not lady shoes. I wanted a real woman,” Jones told WWD backstage.
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Workwear is having a moment in fashion right now, and the Red Wing boot got the full Fendi treatment, crafted with the house’s color palettes, signature Cuoio Romana leather and Selleria hand-stitching. (Red Wing has appeared in Fendi’s men’s collection for decades.)
Fendi’s focus on craftsmanship began in 1925, in a small boutique in the heart of Rome, when the brand was founded by Adele and Edoardo Fendi. At the show, Jones paid tribute to Adele, and enlisted composer Max Richter to mix his music with quotes from Anna and Silvia Venturini Fendi talking about their mother and grandmother, respectively.
Red Wing traces its history back to 1905 when Charles Beckman and 14 other investors established the Red Wing Shoe Co., specializing in high-quality boots and shoes made with a pegged-and-nailed construction typical of the time. Four years later, the group pivoted to using welting, a stitched-sole technique that created a sturdier, longer-lasting shoe.
Red Wing isn’t the only American heritage shoe brand having a moment during fashion month. In New York, designer du jour Willy Chavarria revealed a signature dress shoe with Allen Edmonds, the shoemaker founded in Wisconsin back in 1922. And Sperry, the classic boat shoe brand that dates back to 1925, appeared at the Monse and Collina Strada runways.
