BLISSFULLY BASED AT HER ORGANIC ESTATE OUTSIDE ROME, ILARIA VENTURINI FENDI

IS MAKING A NAME FOR HERSELF AND CHANGING LIVES WITH HER CHIC ECO-FRIENDLY FASHION AND STYLISHLY SUSTAINABLE DESIGNS

- NANÁ BOTTAZZI

Fendi: the mere mention of the name conjures up images redolent of indulgence, luxury, and style. A postwar powerhouse in iconic design, exquisite craftsmanship, and technical innovation, the world-famous fashion brand started life as a single boutique before going global, thanks to the vision and flair of five hardworking sisters. Third-generation scion Ilaria Venturini Fendi is fiercely proud of her name and legacy, and her "sprawling tribe of aunts, uncles, and cousins", she tells us, but after working in the family business, overseeing shoes and accessories as a new mum, she soon realized that doing nothing in the face of climate change was the one luxury none of us could afford.

So in 2003, at the height of her career, she radically changed course, bought a rundown farm in the Parco di Veio just north of Rome, and set herself up as an organic sheep farmer.

"It was the greatest challenge of my life," she tells us at Casali del Pino, her country estate set in 174 delightful hectares of rolling Italian countryside. A former tobacco plantation, it's been lovingly restored by Ilaria with the help of her talented mother, Anna. And it's here that she eventually decided to get back in the fashion business - but this time, on her own terms.

"I loved organic farming, but I missed the creative work," she confesses.

Conscious of her carbon footprint, Ilaria was determined that if she were to return to fashion, it would be ethical fashion. In 2006, she set up Campus Carmina, which sees her recycling and upcycling fabric swatches, cut-offs, remnants, and scraps of material, sharing her skills and knowhow with women in Africa, prisoners in Italy, and creating job opportunities for future independent micro-entrepreneurs.