For the Fendi Spring 2022 Haute Couture collection, Kim Jones presents a lineup that draws upon fantasy and reality to land in an otherworldly present.

Here, the historic codes of the city, its statuesque marbles and ecclesiastical aesthetics are explored within a futuristic framework. “When you walk down the street in Rome, you are constantly moving back and forth in time,” explains Kim Jones. “Where we work feels very modern, but you pass monuments on the way there. There’s a total timelessness to the city: a historic vein which runs through it, but also a movement that is projecting forwards.”

Now, descending from the heavens, an army of empresses whose divine purity is imbued with celestial power. Lavish craftsmanship is applied to their sci-fi silhouettes; elsewhere, ceremonial asceticism overlaid with astral fantasy. Fluid fabrics are draped atop shimmering bodies; baguette beads luminous with light; hand-embroidered tights appearing as a second skin. These are unearthly figures charged with transcendent energy. “Rome has a certain spirituality as a city,” notes Jones. “Not necessarily just something religious, but something present in the layers of its history.”

From the ancient Roman Empire to sci-fi movies. Kim Jones and Silvia Venturini Fendi offer their personal, unique insight into the inspiration and creative process behind the Fendi Spring 2022 Haute Couture collection and accessories.