What is the difference between art and craft? Silvia Venturini Fendi, presenting Hand in Hand

Silvia Venturini Fendi recounts the new shape of the FENDI hand in hand project. Texts and images to enhance the mastery of thirty artisans chosen to reinterpret the Baguette bag she designed in 1997

FENDI hand in hand project

FENDI hand in hand is an initiative that aims to sustain local traditions, the work of craftsmen, and the transmission of skills to new generations. Above all, sustainability is about human commitment, transparency and civil respect. 

Carlo Mazzoni: Browsing through the pages, the first thing that strikes me is the research, the selection of master artisans – divided by region to find the best techniques in the local tradition. I would like to reflect on the conversations between FENDI, yourself and the creative team, and the artisans: the conversations to explain the initiative to them, to share the message of FENDI hand in hand with them. 

Silvia Venturini Fendi: We were looking for skilled master craftsmen with small, high-quality productions. We found those who had a lot of requests for work. While at the beginning some responded that they were unavailable, after talking and explaining our purpose, the master craftsmen understood that the initiative was addressed to them, their culture, and the future of their handcrafts. FENDI hand in hand is an initiative that aims to highlight its collaborators, to make them protagonists, hand in hand. I started to receive many letters from artisans expressing the will to cooperate. 

CM Of these techniques, have any exceeded your imagination? 

SVF A thread produced by the twisting of a peacock feather to create an iridescent embroidery. I thought it wouldn’t be possible, it seemed crazy. I imagined what tradition might be behind the spinning of a peacock feather, the complexity that comes from an idea that is, perhaps, even simple. It is a century-old savoir-faire from South Tyrol – of which the Federkielstickerei Thaler workshop is a masterful expression. It’s a matter of habit and perspective, even though it is so easy to buy a thread today, it is still complex to create one. 

About art and handcraft

CM What is the difference between art and craft today? It is a difference that often tends toward zero; but in this very similarity it emphasizes once again, and perhaps in an unprecedented way, the precise identity of the two concepts. 

SVF Art and handcrafts are not the same thing, but people who make art and people who do crafts have the same value. Therefore, in special cases, the demarcation between these two universes becomes blurred; the craftsmanship and the savoir-faire of the artisans bridge a constellation of visual stimuli that are able to suggest references to art and cultural history. 

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CM In France there are Métiers d’Art, in Japan there are National Treasures, but in Italy the artisan is not protected. In Italy there is no classification, which then, should lead to
a tax relief, because support – to be credible – must be concrete. 

SVF The master, Platimiro Fiorenza (known as l’ultimu mastru curaddaru), who made the coral Baguette, since 2013 has been included in the Register of the Intangible Heritage of Sicily, and he appears in the list of Living Human Treasures protected by UNESCO. Craftsmen should all be- come a protected patrimony – this is the message we would like to pass on through this book. 

CM The FENDI hand in hand initiative, while advocating in favor of slow fashion, also relates within a brand, such as FENDI, that foresees the commercialization of specific products. 

SVF The ethic is the same, the logic is the same. Supporting artisans also means raising the quali- ty of their welfare, of their protection, of their life, and of every moment of their working day. For this reason, even products with more simple workmanship arrive on the market at a higher price. You are not paying for the product, you are paying for the work of the person who made that product. The word luxury might have a common meaning; but today, we refer to the luxury of being able to pay what is fair. In our factories, artisans are at the center of this discourse. We are about to inaugurate our new factory in Florence – another factory in the center of Italy for footwear. We are working to transform our factories into places where it is more pleasant for people to work: the buildings are surrounded by greenery, with vegetable gardens and olive trees that will supply the kitchen. 

FENDI hand in hand – a couture initiative

CM Is craftsmanship synonymous with couture? Is the definition of couture outdated? 

SVF Couture is a creative craft which must present in its technique an innovative drive – but innovation can also apply to techniques that have remained the same for a long time. It pleases me to work on certain techniques that, to me, seem unchanged – and then to observe how, when working by hand, an error can become a virtue. Indeed, an error can become the idea for innovation. This is couture today. FENDI hand in hand is a couture initiative, because it presents Baguettes that will not be replicated; they will be a limited series of unique pieces. As such, we could afford finishes that would not be in accordance with the standards necessary for industrial production. 

CM By not pursuing industrial production but remaining within an artisanal dimension, some attention to coloring, adhesives, and chemical components is not present. Some master craftsmen do not intend to evolve their art according to the limits of a production that is attentive to the counterpoints of every process. 

SVF Artisans ask themselves these questions. Those who don’t do so today, will do so tomorrow. When talking with the master artisan, Platimiro Fiorenza, I asked him about finding coral and imagining its limits if it were not restricted by harvest – he replied that it is always a matter of supply and demand: if there is less of it, it has more value. If a craftsman can multiply a value that keeps on increasing, he will benefit in turn. 

Full traceability at any stage

CM The word sustainability is outdated, the current concept is transparency – for which many companies are not yet ready. 

SVF One is never one hundred per cent ready. The ideal did not exist yesterday, and it will not exist tomorrow. We can certainly approach each day with the aim of solving these issues that should be in everyone’s heart – yes, of course. Today, our leathers are metal free; we use silk and organic cottons and our plastics are recycled. With every piece, we know who made it, who touched it; we expect full traceability at any stage. 

CM Could the luxury sector propose a higher qualitative step than the code of Made in Italy? One could go from just Made in Italy to a higher grade: Made and Sourced in Italy. 

SVF If a product is completely domestically made, it should be emphasized; but it has to be a stimulus, not a restraint – it must create a cultural exchange. There must be new energy for research into materials, into design, into creativity in all its applications. 

The use of hemp fiber for Fendi hand in hand book

CM We have used hemp fiber to produce the paper for this book. We selected hemp from fields cultivated in Puglia and Tuscany. Today, hemp is the natural vegetable textile fiber with the greatest potential for Italian cultivation. 

SVF Those who have a tougher skin can choose better and before others. Production decisions must be made with a broader view, and not just as aesthetic or functional choices. 

CM The luxury sector finds its role and dignity when it manages to anticipate for the elite what the market will follow en masse some time later. If luxury Italian companies choose raw materials that can be sourced in Italy, such as hemp, this would not just be a creative decision or production strategy – this would be a responsibility towards the future of the entire Italian economy and the world. 

SVF We know the power fashion holds; we know that fashion can convey messages beyond the products and creativity themselves, so we are aware of our power. I want to maintain a close connection with reality, to take the consumer’s side. If we can convey a message of change, it is our duty to do so, it is our responsibility. 

Silvia Venturini Fendi

As creative director of accessories, menswear and children at Fendi, Silvia Venturini Fendi is the only family member still working at the historic Italian business, where she was responsible for the creation of the iconic Baguette bag.

Carlo Mazzoni