{"id":65805,"date":"2022-10-06T17:36:14","date_gmt":"2022-10-06T17:36:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/?post_type=articles&p=65805"},"modified":"2022-10-06T17:37:27","modified_gmt":"2022-10-06T17:37:27","slug":"franca-fendi-dead-age-87","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/franca-fendi-dead-age-87\/","title":{"rendered":"Franca Fendi Has Died in Rome at Age 87"},"content":{"rendered":"
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German Creative Director for Fur and Women Ready-to-Wear Karl Lagerfeld, surrounded by the five Fendi sisters, heads of the Fendi Italian luxury fashion house. From left to right: Carla and Alda, in the second row Franca, Anna and Paola. (Photo by Vittoriano Rastelli\/Corbis via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Franca Fendi has died at age 87. The inheritor of the Italian luxury fashion house<\/a> who later transformed the brand, passed away on Wednesday in Rome, The Guardian<\/em><\/a> reported.<\/p>\n

As the third eldest of five sisters, Fendi<\/a> had a hand in transitioning their family-owned Roman leather goods company into one of the world\u2019s most venerable fashion houses after inheriting the business. Her parents, Edoardo and Adele Fendi originally founded the brand in 1952 with a shop in Via del Plebiscito, specializing in small leather goods and fur.<\/p>\n

Franca and her sisters Paola, Anna, Franca, Carla, and Alda, later took the reins from their mother and father, and put a new spin on the company by bringing in the then-new German designer Karl Lagerfeld<\/a> in 1965 for a women\u2019s ready-to-wear line. The alliance would go on to be the longest between a designer and fashion house in the industry\u2019s history, lasting 54 years.<\/p>\n

She was responsible for Fendi\u2019s boutiques in Rome until the business was sold in 1991. French luxury group LVMH Mo\u00ebt Hennessy Louis Vuitton and\u00a0Prada\u00a0acquired 51 percent of the fashion house before LMVH went on to take control of Prada\u2019s stake in 2001.<\/p>\n

Franca Fendi no longer held her role at the company since it was sold, while her sister Carla remained at Fendi as honorary president. Carla passed away in 2017, and Silvia Venturini Fendi (the daughter of Anna) remains the only family member at the heritage house as creative director of accessories, menswear and children, and works alongside current womenswear and couture designer Kim Jones.<\/p>\n

In 2018, Franca released her memoir titled Sei Con Me <\/em>(You Are With Me<\/em> in English), published by Rizzoli, detailing her life and career. She is survived by her four children, Guido, Andrea, Luca, and Federica, and her grandchildren.<\/p>\n

Check out GRAZIA USA\u2019s Fall issue featuring cover star Nicola Peltz Beckham:<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

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