Fendi's New Renaissance Man
Harper's BAZAAR Singapore|May 2021
Designer Kim Jones on reinventing romance in times of uncertainty and why it’s sometimes okay to do things by the book (if that book had been written by Virginia Woolf).
Alexander Fury
Fendi's New Renaissance Man

The era of Zoom has almost counter-intuitively provided us with rare moments of intimacy. For example, even though I’m in London and Kim Jones is in Paris, when I connect with the designer two days before his first Fendi couture show in late January this year, he’s not sequestered in a press room but in the middle of a fitting with Christy Turlington and her nephew James. Actually, at the precise moment I catch him, he’s eating his lunch.

For Jones, time right now has to be snatched where it can be. Between overseeing the menswear collections for Dior in Paris and designing womenswear collections for Fendi in Rome, he has been working constantly, perpetually in transit between the two cities.

Jones made his Fendi debut during the spring 2021 Couture Week in January. With that collection, he checked off a couple of significant firsts: his first couture collection and his first-ever womenswear collection. There was also a consequential second: Jones is only the second outside designer to serve as artistic director in Fendi’s history after the late, great Karl Lagerfeld, whose tenure at Fendi stretched an astounding 54 years, until his death in 2019. (Silvia Venturini Fendi was the House’s sole artistic director in 2019 and 2020.)

Prior to our conversation, the 41-year-old Jones texted me a video of Turlington and James in suits with swirling, exaggerated trains of taffeta patterned to evoke Carrara marble. The inspiration, he said, was Orlando, Virginia Woolf’s 1928 novel of a century-hopping and gender-swapping poet inspired by her lover, author Vita Sackville-West.

This story is from the May 2021 edition of Harper's BAZAAR Singapore.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the May 2021 edition of Harper's BAZAAR Singapore.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM HARPER'S BAZAAR SINGAPOREView All
Colour Me Happy
Harper's BAZAAR Singapore

Colour Me Happy

Spark joy and confidence in your life with a little colour.

time-read
2 mins  |
March 2024
The Perfect Balance
Harper's BAZAAR Singapore

The Perfect Balance

Architect Ian Chee's apartment, on the ground floor of a conservation building, is a masterclass in art, design and perspective.

time-read
5 mins  |
February 2024
ISLE OF STYLE
Harper's BAZAAR Singapore

ISLE OF STYLE

Escape to this chic hideaway in Phuket where fashion and cocktails are de rigueur and star spotting by the cabana the perfect time killer.

time-read
4 mins  |
March 2024
THE GOLD STANDARD
Harper's BAZAAR Singapore

THE GOLD STANDARD

In the opulent home of Bahareh Badiei, her extravagant vision and personal touch is seen in the lovingly curated artworks, lighting and furniture.

time-read
5 mins  |
March 2024
THE REAL DEAL
Harper's BAZAAR Singapore

THE REAL DEAL

A name to watch, the Thai actress, singer and host Toey Jarinporn Joonkiat advocates for self-care and sustainability, with a disarming openness.

time-read
3 mins  |
March 2024
UNQUIET LUXURY
Harper's BAZAAR Singapore

UNQUIET LUXURY

Basic beige? We don’t know her. This season, designers are sending forth the most interesting propositions without being shouty about it.

time-read
2 mins  |
March 2024
FUNNY MAN
Harper's BAZAAR Singapore

FUNNY MAN

With an Emmy Award under his belt, Malaysian-born Ronny Chieng opens up about taking risks, chasing dreams and pushing for greater diversity of Asian stories in showbiz.

time-read
7 mins  |
March 2024
HOROSCOPE
Harper's BAZAAR Singapore

HOROSCOPE

If someone wants to whisk you away on a date or a getaway, you have every right to go along or stay put.

time-read
3 mins  |
March 2024
CRAFTING A BRILLIANT FUTURE
Harper's BAZAAR Singapore

CRAFTING A BRILLIANT FUTURE

GRAFF unveils its latest additions to the Laurence Graff Signature collection, which pay tribute to the House's legacy, its founder and his love for the world's most celebrated gemstone—the diamond.

time-read
2 mins  |
March 2024
SPECIAL ORDER
Harper's BAZAAR Singapore

SPECIAL ORDER

Avid watch collector, Alvin Chong, talks about his growing collection of custom Cartier timepieces and the very first watch that started it all.

time-read
1 min  |
March 2024