Maria Grazia Chiuri spells out her intentions for the future of Fendi.

Fendi’s Autumn/Winter 2026 collection (Photo: Getty Images)

Fendi kicks off Milan Fashion Week with the highly anticipated debut collection of newly appointed creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri. Presented at Fendi’s renovated Milan headquarters in the vibrant Via Solari fashion district, the collection, built on the motto “Less I, More Us”, is a Chiuri’s manifesto. “A declaration of intent that is more necessary than ever today in order to reaffirm the complexity of the fashion system: the values of working together, of shared intentions and desires, the importance of understanding and acceptance of others, of the world around us,” she writes in the official show notes. 

She clearly lays out the plan for her tenure at Fendi: honouring the brand and the women who are part of it, both as personnel or patrons. A bold reset for the Italian brand, the collection’s core theme unfolds over 80 looks. 

Below, BAZAAR breaks down Fendi’s Autumn/Winter 2026 collection. 

Maxim Mania 

Chiuri has never been slogan-shy. Who can forget the title of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichi’s book, We Should All Be Feminists, printed across her t-shirts for Dior in 2016? 

This time, she is equally bold. Working with multidisciplinary artist SAGG Napoli, Chiuri develops a series of affirmations and plasters them on fur football scarves: “Rooted but not stuck”, “Present but not dependent”, “Loyal but not obedient”, “Committed but not consumed”, “Volcanic but not destructive,” “Regulated but not numb”, and “Responsive but not reactive”. One is not like the others, however. The phrase, “Five Sisters”, is a tribute to the daughters of founder Edoardo Fendi–Alda, Carla, Paola, Franca and Anna Fendi–whose stewardship of the brand propelled it to global fame. 

Chiuri also draws inspiration from Italian poet and performance artist Mirella Bentivoglio, whose seminal work through the 1970s experimented with “liberating” poetry from conventions by pushing the boundaries of letters, syntax, and phrasing, or bringing her poetry to life in unexpected formats or on unexpected pages sculpted from wood, marble, or metal. Bentivoglio’s more playful exploration of the power of words–such as “Senza senso” (nonsense) and “Fou/lard” (the phrase in its entirety translates into “the crazy scarf” but when separated, puts an emphasis on the word “fou” or “mad” in French)–are reissued on a special line of jewellery and clothes.

These bolder elements constitute the few “attention grabbers” in Chiuri’s intentionally muted, pragmatic collection, which focuses on streamlined silhouettes and tailoring. Her use of romantic lace and sequinned embroidery—in symmetrical lines—adds to the understated quality, bringing only modest amounts of sheerness. 

The Fur Issue

Adapting to the changing attitudes on garments made with real fur, Chiuri introduces her Echo of Love initiative. At once acknowledging Fendi’s origins as a fur and leather goods workshop and progressing it forwards, she showcases patchwork designs made from upcycled vintage fur coats–inviting the public to bring in their own fur coats to be “re-modelled” for the present day. This initiative promotes a circular economy by “maximising the use value of materials already ‘extracted’ from nature”, while honouring “one’s own history” if, like many, their garments are passed down from generation to generation and holds emotional significance. The concept of an “emotionally durable design”, first appearing in academic research by American academic Jonathan Chapman, is relatively novel to the industry; and this approach is one to watch as the ongoing conversation on products made from real fur continue. 

The Bottom Line

With Jonathan Anderson at Dior, Michael Rider at Celine, Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez at Loewe, and Sarah Burton at Givenchy, the appointment of Maria Grazia Chiuri at Fendi is one of many shake-ups by owner LVMH to reset, and hopefully expand, its revenue streams. According to their report published in January 2026, LVMH’s fashion and leather goods business “saw revenue decline in 2025”. As with the Spring/Summer 2026 presentations, it is clear that commercial interests are still at the front of every fashion brand’s minds this season. 

Fendi is not exempt in this. Chiuri follows in the trend of presenting practical garments and a wide selection of collectible jewellery, shoes, and bags in its Autumn/Winter 2026 collection. She also leans into the practice of nostalgia. In line with Saint Laurent’s reissue of the Mombasa bag, Loewe’s refreshed Amazona 180 bag, and the return of the Hermès’s Birkin 35, Chiuri presents the Baguette 26424, hailing “a return to the icon’s original silhouette”, which she had a hand in creating as Fendi’s accessories designer the early ‘90s.