Fendi partners with Kengo Kuma on nature-inspired accessories for men

In Italy, ultra-luxury fashion brand Fendi and architect Kengo Kuma have jointly designed men’s accessories that feature biobased materials and are inspired by Japanese craftmanship.

The collaboration produced versions of Fendi’s Peekaboo bag, Baguette Soft Trunk and Flow Sneakers using materials such as waranshi—a type of paper made from cotton and tree bark fibers that is traditionally used in origami, lanterns, and kimonos. A men’s bag was also crafted from pale birch bark and Tuscan olivewood.

“I’ve always thought of Kengo Kuma as a master of naturalist architecture, he was one of the first to understand the importance of building nature into architecture both inside and outside,” Silvia Venturini Fendi, Fendi’s artistic director of accessories and menswear, told design publication dezeen.  “His work mixes the future with his roots in a very essential way. I feel a sense of kinship with his Japanese approach to savoir-faire – I think it is such a strong shared value between Japan and Italy.”