The sound of couture: Fendi in Rome

Seldom, if ever, is the question asked: what does couture sound like? But in a spectacular collaboration, the esteemed Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia music institute and luxury fashion house Fendi propose an answer: Anima Mundi (meaning soul of the universe). A unique and mesmerising performance of Antonio Vivialdi’s Estate from The Four Seasons - broadcast from the maison’s Palazzo della Civilta Italiana HQ - in which the orchestra’s leading violinist, Anna Tifu, is dressed in three different Fendi couture looks.

“The symphonic music, whose peculiarity lies in the highest quality of sound, finds for the first time its iconographic expression through Fendi’s couture dresses, which visually personify the narrative of Estate,” explains the house of the concept, which pertinently launched over the weekend of summer solstice celebrations - “symbolizing the common desire to restart, reunite and rejoin,” they said. “The idea of the performance comes from the desire to share with the community, after the pandemic, a positive message.”

It comes at a moment of rebirth in art, fashion and music following the confines of recent months. And the piece echoes the initial tone of societal isolation as the musicians begin by playing separately – though the performance adheres to current social distancing norms - before finally coming back together. All the while, Fendi’s grandiose HQ provides an impressive (if not teasing) backdrop: see the orchestra commence on the steps at dawn, later take to the arches, and finally head to the rooftop - complete with a further incredible view.

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Tifu, who plays a prestigious 1716 Antonio Stradivari Marechal Berthier violin, is seen in a trio of beautifully crafted gowns that embody the elegant heritage of the Roman house, which first launched back in 1925 as a handbag shop.

Watch the performance in full on www.fendi.com