Fountain Head

Sabine Marcelis goes with the flow for fendi’s latest design miami collaboration

- Yoko Choy

Water has been an occasional creative motif at Fendi since 1977, when it commissioned the short film Histoire d’Eau to launch its debut ready-to-wear collection for women. The first film made specifically for a fashion brand, it followed the adventures of young American actress Suzy Dyson in Rome, drawing a connection between her exquisitely crafted outfits and the splendour of Rome’s fountains and architectural icons. Four decades on, Fendi picks up this theme once again with rising Dutch design star Sabine Marcelis, who has created an installation for Design Miami exploring the trance inducing beauty of water in motion.

‘Water is such an interesting material because of its changing shape and appearance,’ says Marcelis, whose mastery of glass and resin brought her into the spotlight. ‘It’s very undervalued and I think it’s nice to showcase its beauty in a luxurious manner.’ Her new exhibition, ‘The Shapes of Water’, will mark the tenth anniversary of Fendi’s collaboration with the design fair.