Fendi and Louis Vuitton are paying a special tribute to each of their respective histories through the release of lavish and enticing coffee table books. With Fendi highlighting an illustrious monument of its home country Italy and Louis Vuitton placing a spotlight on its hard-working artisans, both are fundamental elements which contribute to the luxury Maisons’ design DNA.
Italian luxury fashion house Fendi is producing a coffee table book in celebration of a historic restoration, complete. Returning an iconic historical monument to its former glory, a special tome will be released featuring poignant imagery from photographer Stefano Castellani.
Working alongside the Italian Ministry of Culture’s organization Parco Archeologico del Colosseo, the institution maintains an established autonomy to preserve and protect archeological landmarks in Rome. After 15 months of valiant efforts and hefty donation from the Maison, The Temple of Venus and Rome has been restored with some necessary enhancements. Charted throughout a new book edited by Electa 2021, the renovation began in September of 2020 and came to a close this July.
Even throughout the pandemic, PArCo and Fendi worked tirelessly together to reach all of their set goals in completing this mission. Published in both English and Italian with an introduction by Minister of Culture Dario Franceschini, the book is an ode to their smooth running public-private partnership and the beauty of the masterpiece they helped to rebuild the relic of the Roman Empire. With recollections of the experience by Director of Parco Archeologico del Colosseo Alfonsina Russo and Fendi’s Artistic Director of Accessories and Menswear Silvia Venturini Fendi, the combined effort towards a mutual cause unified the two institutions.
Dubbed II Tempio di Venere e Roma, the book cover symbolizes the core color palette of the monument itself, with bronze laminated graphics and a raw canvas base. Inside, the lavish structure of The Temple of Venus and Rome is charted throughout history, with both archival images, those outlining different phases of the restoration process, and shots of the Fendi Couture runway presentation hosted within the cell of Venus in July 2019. The tome will be released mid-January 2022 and will be sold within the Electa store network.
French fashion house Louis Vuitton is paying homage to its craftspeople with a forthcoming coffee table book. Celebrating the luxury label’s exemplary artisans, we get a behind-the-scenes peek at their meticulous standards for the luxury brand.
Giving an insider’s look at the fastidious practices of the craftspeople who make it all happen, the book has been dubbed “Louis Vuitton Manufactures,” the luxury tome is set for publication by Assouline on February 1. With two iterations ready to go into production, the standard version will retail for $95 in both English and French, while a limited-edition will be sold exclusively in French and will retail for $1,900. With only 500 numbered copies of the collector’s item available, the exclusive tome will come chambered in a poplar wood encasement, symbolizing the Maison’s storied trunks from LV’s early days.
In 400 pages, the tome pays tribute to Vuitton’s diverse crowd of exemplary artisans working throughout France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, and the United States, the book provides a behind-the-scenes peek at their delicate and intricate production of clothing, shoes, handbags, trunks, watches, high jewelry, and fragrances. With photographs of fantastical brand installations, leather goods workshops, and Vuitton’s exceptional Parisian high jewelry atelier, the book begins with a foreword from journalist and author Nicholas Foulkes.
