5 fun facts about the Fendi Baguette, Swarowski's first ready-to-wear collaboration + how to write a cover letter
plus the latest jobs and internships
This is Inside Fashion a newsletter brought to you by Glam Observer that each week covers behind-the-scenes of fashion, industry news, career advice, profiles to follow, jobs and more!
5 fun facts about the Fendi Baguette Bag
The Fendi Baguette Bag has been on the fashion industry’s radar for a while now. We saw it on the Sex & The City’s reboot, during New York Fashion Week last September, in a collaboration with Tiffany & Co., and now, it has been revealed that the brand released a book about the bag. Let’s look at the history of the Baguette Bag, how it has evolved over 25 years to become the it-bag, and retrace the most memorable moments related to it.
The famous bag was conceived in 1997 by Silvia Venturini Fendi, grand-daughter of the House founders Adele and Edoardo Fendi and Creative Director of Accessories at the time. The 90s was the time when the brand just began making handbags, as it has been traditionally associated with leather goods, fur (which was modernized under the direction of Karl Lagerfeld with his first couture fur collection released in 1966), ready-to-wear with the first collection in 1977, then the shoes in 1978, and fragrances in the 1980s.
Do you know why it is called a Baguette? 🥖It has to do something with bread, indeed, as Silvia Venturini Fendi was in fact inspired by Parisian women who would carry the baguette bread under their arms, so she designed the bag in a way so that it could be carried comfortably under the arms. The Baguette sold over 100,000 units in its debut year and has had over 1000 variations since: golden leather, hemstitched embroidery, beads, sequins and multicolored patterns have been added to the collection year after year.
Even though it didn’t gain instant popularity (which is hard to believe), the Baguette Bag became famous when it appeared on the Sex & The City show. Remember Carrie’s famous lines “It’s not a bag, it’s a Baguette”? It later returned to the TV show’s reboot And Just Like That… in which Sarah Jessica Parker appeared with the glittering magenta version of the iconic bag.
Then came the 2000s. It was the age of logomania, so people saw in the bag’s iconic inverted FF logo (which stands for “Fun Furs” and was invented by Karl Lagerlfeld) a symbol of status. It became so popular that other brands started to create similar versions, which dropped the bag’s popularity and was the reason for the brand to briefly discontinue the production of Baguettes. Fendi brought back the iconic accessory in 2019 with a campaign entitled #BaguetteFriendsForever.
More recently, a special runway show was hosted to celebrate the 25-year anniverary of the Baguette during New York Fashion Week in September, 2022. The show included interpretations of the accessory by Marc Jacobs, and Fendi also collaborated with Tiffany & Co to create a Tiffany- blue baguette bag.
The Baguette Bag is still a top choice for all the fashionistas worldwide. In the words of Silvia Venturini Fendi herself, the bag has “its own personality and its own identity — it’s a little sexy bag!” — and now, everyone knows it. “The Baguette is like a best friend that never leaves your side”.
What’s new at Fendi Baguette?
Recently, Fendi released a book, paying tribute to its “Hand in Hand'' initiative launched in 2020. The project is aimed at spotlighting Italian craftsmanship by inviting local artisans to reinvent the iconic bag. Last year, for the second edition of the initiative, Fendi organized an exhibition at its Roman headquarters Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana, showcasing 20 Fendi Baguette bags that Silvia Venturini Fendi developed in collaboration with 20 ateliers and workshops, each located in an Italian region, from Trentino Alto Adige and Valle d’Aosta to Calabria and Sicily.
There will be a special handcrafted edition of the book available in 25 copies on paper made from Italian hemp fiber, which is not for sale at the moment, while the printed version can already be bought on Fendi’s website starting Thursday, coinciding with the launch of the Baguette 25th anniversary collection paraded during NYFW.
Are you a fan of the Fendi Baguette? Which reinterpretation of the bag do you like the most? Share with us in the comments!
What's happening in the industry this week?💚
Ralph Lauren teams with Fortnite on a digital and physical collection
With a goal to reach more young consumers, Ralph Lauren partnered with Fortnite, the online gaming platform, to create both a digital apparel and accessories collection and a physical apparel capsule. For the first time in the company’s history, the Polo Pony logo has been redesigned to include Fortnite’s signature llama, which has replaced the traditional horse symbol. The digital collection will include 2 outfits and in-game cosmetics that will be available for purchase in the Fortnite Item Shop beginning Saturday, and the physical apparel capsule collection offering polo shirts, sweatpants and caps, has become available on Wednesday, exclusively on the Ralph Lauren website. Both the physical and digital collections draw inspiration from the brand’s Stadium collection and Polo Sport line from the ’90s, reimagined for the metaverse.
David Lauren, chief branding and innovation officer of Ralph Lauren, said the company’s last collection for the Winter Olympics was actually “heavily inspired by video games and technology,” and this collection with Fortnite is actually an extension of that exploration, given that the company has also collaborated with Snapchat and Zepeto on virtual clothing in the past.
The Times launches a new digital vertical
The British newspaper The Times has announced it will launch a luxury vertical on November 9 this year, in response to an increasing interest in luxury coverage from its readers and advertisers. This project will be an online extension of Luxx, the paper’s luxury print magazine supplement which is published 5 times a year.
Curated by Luxx editor-in-chief Kate Reardon, the vertical will cover different aspects of the luxury market: fashion, jewelry, watches, as well as luxury-related events, among others. Contributors will include Fashion director Anna Murphy, science editor Tom Whipple, food editor Tony Turnbull, and columnist Hugo Rifkind.
Victoria’s Secret acquires Adore Me for $400 million
The lingerie brand Victoria's Secret, which now goes by VS&Co., acquired 100% of the digital intimate apparel and sleepwear start-up Adore Me for $400 million. This deal represents Victoria’s Secret's plan to be more inclusive and bring a more sustainable assortment with the help of Adore Me that is distinguished by being a technology-led brand and a digital-first innovator in the intimates category.
Swarovski Creators Lab’s first ready-to-wear collaboration with Advisory Board Crystals
Swarovski’s Creators Lab, launched in 2021, is teaming with the fashion brand Advisory Board Crystals, founded in 2015 by Heather Haber and Remington Guest, to create a collection of sweatshirts, sweatpants and hats that utilizes Swarovski’s crystals for Advisory Board Crystals’ modern pieces.
The crystals used on each sweatshirt (more than 928) evoke a “mind-map” concept of the English author Tony Buzan, and the back of the sweatshirts feature Advisory Board Crystals’ ABC logo, as well as Swarovski’s. The collection, which comes in eight colorways (black, white, blue, pink, yellow, dark blue, green and maroon) also features sweatpants, ABC’s signature pulse pocket and a logo hat.
Louis Vuitton inaugurates a temporary cultural space in Paris
The brand is inaugurating a new temporary cultural and culinary space in its headquarters in Paris called "LV Dream", which will host from November 16 and during one year, an exhibition dedicated to the most important collaborations made by the brand with renowned artists who made reinterpretations of the famous monogram bag. Visitors will also have direct access to the "Maxime Frédéric at Louis Vuitton" café and chocolate shop, where the eponymous chef-patissier of the Cheval Blanc hotel in Paris will officiate.
What’s new in sustainability? 🌱
Venice hosts the first international summit dedicated to sustainability
The Italian fashion industry organized on October 27 and 29 the Venice Sustainable Fashion Forum 2022, which was the first international summit dedicated to discuss the future of sustainable future in the industry. The event was co-hosted by Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana (CNMI), textile association Sistema Moda Italia (SMI), trade group Confindustria Venezia Area Metropolitana di Venezia e Rovigo and think-tank and management consulting company The European House - Ambrosetti and was attended by major brands like Fendi and Prada, with the goal to the Italian fashion industry become a world-leading of sustainability.
During the Forum, the OTB Group’s President Renzo Rosso presented Re.Crea Consortium, a voluntary initiative to help brands manage end-of-life textiles and channel unwanted products into recycling and reuse programmes. On the other hand, SMI presented its own consortium, Retex.Green, specifically for the Made in Italy supply chain, focusing on recycling pre- and post-consumer textile waste through a network of external recycling companies. As to Prada, it introduced the latest iteration of its Sea Beyond partnership with Unesco, which it says has educated 600 students across 4 nations since launching in 2019, and is funded by sales of Prada’s Re-Nylon collection.
Fashion Career Tip of the Week
Did you know that a resume is no longer enough to apply for fashion jobs? There is also something else you need to send the recruiters if you want to get a job or internship in fashion: a cover letter.
In our latest article, we share everything about:
Why you need to send a cover letter each time you apply
What structure to follow to build it
Tips to write a personalized and effective cover letter to get a job interview and land your dream job
If you have never fully understood how to write it, read this article asap, so that all the tools and strategies to use in a cover letter will no longer be a secret to you.
Nice things 💖
Nice things
Pink PP is back! Naomi Campbell stole the show at the Valentino’s fall 2022 couture collection last Thursday while attending the opening event for the new “Forever Valentino” exhibition at the M7 Museum in Doha, Qatar that pays an homage to Valentino Garavani in honor of the house founder's 90th birthday earlier this year. The collection of over 200 pieces makes the exhibit the largest for the brand to date, as well as its first in the Middle East.
Naomi's dress in particular has gained a lot of attention lately, as the look was just re-created in red for the upcoming second season of And Just Like That. Pierpalo Piccioli made the custom dress for Nicole Ari Parker’s character, Lisa Todd Wexley, and even provided a similar headpiece to match.
What to watch this week 👩🏻💻
Do you always hear about fashion metaverse, but struggle understanding what it's all about?
This week's video explains how fashion brands are entering the trillion-door digital market. The topic is worth starting learning about now as the metaverse is said to be the future of fashion. We see that with the recent Ralph Lauren collaboration with Fortnite, who joined other brands like Balenciaga, Nike, Gucci and dozens more in creating digital fashion products.
Fashion Profiles to follow this week
Kate Reardon editor-in-chief of the soon to be released The Times Luxury vertical
Renzo Rosso, CEO of the OTB Group that includes Diesel, Maison Margiela and Marni, among others
Your Fashion Jobs Date 🔍
Here is for you an updated list of fashion jobs and internships. Happy application ;)
London
Merchandising Intern, Shoes -Jimmy Choo
Production Assistant, Luxury Fashion - Kara Gibson-Coyle Ltd.
Junior Product Writer - MATCHESFASHION
Online Stylist - MATCHESFASHION
Brand Copy and Social Media Coordinator - Hobbs London
Bi-lingual / Tri-lingual Copywriter - Seraphine
Merchandise Assistant - Lipsy London
New York
Summer 2023 Design Internship with Victoria’s Secret & Co. - Victoria's Secret
Media Trainee - Christian Dior Couture
BALENCIAGA Omnichannel Intern Spring 2023
BALENCIAGA Retail Buying Intern Spring 2023
Stylist Internship - Carlos Nazario Inc
Internship-Showroom NYC - Marcolin
Administrative and Operations Management Intern - JBIER Inc.
Sales Intern | Docker's/ Levi's/ Tommy Hilfiger Outerwear - G-III Apparel Group
Assistant Fashion Designer - Meison
Logistics Inventory Coordinator - The RealReal
Milan
Bags & Accessories Design Internship - Moncler
Product Press Office Internship - Moncler
Product Planning & Analyst Intern - NGGH++ - FARFETCH
B2B Back Office & Sales Internship - La DoubleJ
DODO Retail & Wholesale Operations Intern - Pomellato
Europe Retail CRM Coordinator - DOLCE&GABBANA
Social media manager - Eligo Milano
Paris
Assistant.e Chef de produit PAP Homme - Cuir, Fourrure et Denim (F/H) - Louis Vuitton
Assistant Attaché de Presse Femme France - Relation Presse F/H - Stage - Christian Dior Couture
SAINT LAURENT Stage Assistant Leather Goods Digital Merchandiser H/F
BALENCIAGA – Stage EMEA Client engagement (F/H)
KERING Stagiaire Communication Financière
Stage - Assistant(e) Relations Presse et Influence France - Benelux (F/H) - Tiffany & Co.
Coordinateur(rice) Logistique (H/F) - KENZO Mode
Assistant administratif et financier - Souliers Martinez
https://www.kering.com/fr/talent/offres-d-emploi/europe/kering-crm-tech-project-manager
VISUEL MERCHANDISER CDI - FLAGSHIP CHAMPS ELYSEES F/H - Lacoste
That’s all for this week.
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Giada Graziano, Inside Fashion Editor in Chief and Glam Observer Founder
Margarita Skacenko, Fashion Editorial Assistant
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