Fendi Peekaboo 10th anniversary
Fendi, the historic fashion house founded in Rome in 1925, has always had a deep interest for art, design and culture. The Italian maison has supported ambitious projects, from the restoration of roman fountains – including the Trevi – and the “Square Colosseum” at EUR – the location of Fendi’s headquarters – to fostering work by contemporary artists. This year marks the tenth anniversary of the iconic Peekaboo bag, and coincides with the tenth year of partnership with Design Miami. A “timeless bag,” in the words of creative director of accessories and menswear Silvia Venturini-Fendi, constantly re-invented by artists and designers over the years (including Tracey Emin, Zaha Hadid and Fuyuko Matsui). Last December, during the 2018 edition of Design Miami, Fendi presented the creations of five designers – American Chris Wolston, Japanese Kiichiro Ogawa, Chinese Oscar Wang, and Korean Teo Yang, along with Dutch designer Sabine Marcelis – who customized the handbag, transforming VenturiniFendi’s original white design into works of art. This March, during Art Basel Hong Kong (March 29-31), the maison is showing more Peekaboo reinventions, by local artists and designers Carina and Michael Lau. L’Officiel Art asked the seven artists and designers a few questions about the project.
— L’OFFICIEL ART: What made you accept Fendi’s invitation to formulate your vision of the Peekaboo bag?
SABINE MARCELIS: We had already embarked on an adventure to celebrate Fendi’s 10th anniversary of collaborating with Design Miami, so I was already very deeply interested in the brand’ history. The Peekaboo is so iconic and we tackled it as a water sculpture in the “Shapes of Water” installation. But now to customize one in its own true form was very interesting and obvious to me as another step in my journey with Fendi.
What were your sources of inspiration in terms of material and style for your project?
I wanted the customized bag to relate to my use of materials and to also not take anything away from its own materiality. It should be a coming together of both worlds, recognizable as the Peekaboo bag and recognizable as interpreted by me.
How did you manage to balance the freedom Fendi gave you and the fact of having a given physical base (the Peekaboo)?
The approach was really to present the bag as a piece of art. I did not want to embellish the bag or take it apart in any way. The idea was to simply present the bag as it is, but optimized. In the end I chose to freeze the design within a resin block. By only encapsulating the lower volume of the bag, a hint of functionality is preserved within this new sculptural object. The translucent resin color exaggerates the three-dimensionality of the shape frozen within.
What does the Peekaboo bag represent in your opinion?
The super-clever hardware makes it such a versatile bag. It takes on many different sizes and styles in all its different versions, yet its always recognizable as the Peekaboo. It’s a modern classic in my opinion.
— L’OFFICIEL ART: What made you accept Fendi’s invitation to formulate your vision of the Peekaboo bag?
OSCAR WANG : Fendi has always been a brand I admire, and its young image fits very well with me personally. I’ve always appreciated the brand’s way of creating classic and modern designs and constantly evolving, fitting in so well with each generation. The Peekaboo bag has been an extremely successful case of timeless design, so I felt that as a member of the younger generation it was my duty to reinterpret my vision for the Peekaboo bag.
What were your sources of inspiration in terms of material and style for your project?
For this design, my inspiration originated from the concept of family. The term “wolf pack” really resonated with me and with “F is for Fendi” I felt it worked perfectly, as the design is wolF and Flow. The outer cage is made of flexible resin; the cage symbolizes obstacles in life, but the bag is removable, which symbolizes breaking through barriers. The bag itself is made from canvas so I decided to paint an abstract mirrored image of a wolf skin.
How did you manage to balance the freedom Fendi gave you and the fact of having a given physical base (the Peekaboo )?
Fendi gave me total freedom to create on top of the existing white canvas: the design process was extremely swift as I already had the concept of Wolfpack, and I wanted to create two layers. So I wanted to do something graphically stunning on the inner layer and an outer design that was striking and strong, like Yin and Yang.
What does the Peekaboo bag represent in your opinion?
The Peekaboo bag represents youth. I feel that Peekaboo is a timeless design that will be passed on from one generation to the next. It will be passed on over time and always stay youthful.
— L’OFFICIEL ART: What made you accept Fendi’s invitation to formulate your vision of the Peekaboo bag?
CHRIS WOLSTON: How could I say no to the opportunity to work with such an Iconic brand, whose conceptual investigations and fearless exploration of new aesthetics are unmatched by anyone? I was ecstatic! Working with Fendi was a dream because of its uncompromising commitment to design and artistic expression.
What were your sources of inspiration in terms of material and style for your project?
My design for the Peekaboo bag grew out of the Lost In Paradise furniture collection I was simultaneously working on for Design Miami with The Future Perfect. The tropical-inspired collection draws inspiration from the flora and fauna in my garden in Colombia, and the vast untamed landscape.
How did you manage to balance the freedom Fendi gave you and the fact of having a given physical base (the Peekaboo)?
I must say, it was such a pleasure working on a different scale—to make a piece that doesn’t weigh 300 pounds. I appreciated the freedom Fendi gave me—it is uncommon for such a large company, and I really respect them for it. Working with the physical base was similar in some ways to conceiving a piece of furniture, in that there were a few functional elements to adhere to in the midst of the overall sculptural noise.
What does the Peekaboo bag represent in your opinion?
I think Fendi has created an incredible platform for global design with the Peekaboo bag. On one hand the bag exists as a consumable product, on the other as a one of a kind artwork, offering a beautiful view into the cross-cultural and interdisciplinary nature of design. This is an incredible move for a design house to make, and I have so much respect for Fendi for doing so.
— L’OFFICIEL ART: What made you accept Fendi’s invitation to formulate your vision of the Peekaboo bag?
KIICHIRO OGAWA: I tend to find beauty in things that will be destroyed or will decay. The Fendi brand exists at the opposite end of my world of expression. I accepted the invitation because it would be a great opportunity to rethink and express the question, “What is beauty in me?”
What were your sources of inspiration in terms of material and style for your project?
A bag must not decay, but actually I wanted to include a part that would decay with the passing of time. I used house paints that would crack as time passes. Of course, one reason is that I always use house paints. As the bag travels around the world over a year, it will be exposed to the people and atmospheres of different places. I look forward to seeing those time-lapsed changes that I cannot control. The image of dried-up land.
How did you manage to balance the freedom Fendi gave you and the fact of having a given physical base (the Peekaboo)?
I did not want to add various things. I wanted to scrape off loud statements, to achieve simplicity that a viewer can understand instantly. So I retained the original form and changed the colors of the edge and the black belt from black to white to stand out. The splendor is gone but I think I achieved a powerful expression of the mind. In addition, another style of mine is to write something without touching the bag. Imagine writing onto the air a few centimeters above the bag. Writing directly onto the bag shows my emotions of the moment, including distractions. However, writing in the air brings out an unintended power of the object. A seeming coincidence results in a kind of scratch that expresses unchanging subconscious thoughts in my mind. I wrote, “it must be elegant.” But if asked if my work is elegant, I don’t know that myself. It may be a question I was asking myself.
What does the Peekaboo bag represent in your opinion?
An image of an ideal lifestyle. Not just the external design, but the bag’s interior is made very elaborately. I tried to break things
apart, but it was constructed so durably that I could not remove even a single component. The bag’s name is humorous and allows you to understand its concept, just hearing the name. It means that also for people, the inside is important and not the appearance. It’s the inside that will appear on the outside. And it has humor. I want to be that kind of person.
— L’OFFICIEL ART: What made you accept Fendi’s invitation to formulate your vision of the Peekaboo bag?
TEO YANG: I have always admired Fendi’s collaborative work with artists and designers. Especially their way of going beyond making something that is just aesthetically beautiful, but also commenting on current issues through fashion, furniture and installations, which have always been inspiring to see. So I was very happy to receive an invitation from Fendi to work on this iconic bag. I knew it would be a great chance for me to deliver my own message to a bigger audience.
What were your sources of inspiration in terms of material and style for your project?
Tradition meets contemporary has been an ongoing topic for me. In terms of material I try to rediscover and apply traditional crafts and materials. What we had in the past and hope to mix with the latest technology. It’s not just preserving but more of an experiment to find ways for older techniques to coexist in the future.
How did you manage to balance the freedom Fendi gave you and the fact of having a given physical base (the Peekaboo)?
You always have an idea or a story to tell, but it needs a medium or a platform for sharing. And using the Peekaboo bag as a tool to share the idea was actually a very fun process. I wanted to talk about women. Especially Korean women’s status through history and time. Women had boundaries and less freedom due to the Neo-Confucian social structure for hundreds of years. Even today, we still find the negative inheritance handed down from the past, as gender roles are taught and defined by the society. This should change.
What does the Peekaboo bag represent in your opinion?
I believe the bag represents women’s lifestyle of today. What modern-day women want. It’s well-crafted luxury but not difficult. It possesses the emotional values of young, casual and clever at the same time. And the women who own the Peekaboo bag share similar qualities; they are intelligent, successful, but also fun and casual. Fendi never gets old. It’s hip and young, but never loses it heritage.
— L’OFFICIEL ART: What made you accept Fendi’s invitation to formulate your vision of the Peekaboo bag?
CARINA LAU: I have always admired Fendi. I accepted the invitation without much thought when I knew that they would allow me to apply my wildest ideas to the design of the Peekaboo bag. Carina Lau has long been an actress in the public eye, but life should not be limited by its own progress. Life is full of possibilities and we should explore our potential. I am honored to play the role of a designer to explore the potential of the Peekaboo bags.
What were your sources of inspiration in terms of material and style for your project?
I think life is like a flower, and it is closely related to flowers. At the different stages of budding, blossoming, blooming, and withering, flowers weather the ups and downs. This resembles different stages of our life: upon our birth, family and friends send flowers to celebrate; we receive bouquets on our birthdays, and also on special occasions after we meet someone special. Flowers cheer us up at gloomy times. At our departure, our family and best friends prepare wreaths as a token of mourning. The cycle of life is beautiful; it’s short but meaningful, as flowers are. Through my design, I want to convey the wisdom behind the smile as Buddha presents a flower. I hope that we can persevere as flowers do. Flowers persevere in the face of keen competition as they blossom and bloom. It’s not an easy task to stand out and attract the bees to transfer the pollen and reproduce. I hope that my design will remind people of the flower life cycle, and that they would reap the fruits of their own labor in life.
How did you manage to balance the freedom Fendi gave you and the fact of having a given physical base (the Peekaboo)? Just as I look at life, Peekaboo has no such thing as “limitations.” I have recently visited many exhibitions of contemporary art, and I have started to believe that imagination will eventually be realized, to the extent that you can figure out what you want to achieve. I appreciate the freedom that Fendi granted me, to give fullest expression to my creative thoughts.
What does the Peekaboo bag represent in your opinion?
The Peekaboo bags have different characteristics in terms of appearance and interior details. They are like the various facets of a woman. Each and every feature is precious. The Peekaboo has been launching innovative models over the years, which reflect the desire of women to explore changes. I think both the Peekaboo and women nowadays share the same character of perseverance.
— L’OFFICIEL ART: What made you accept Fendi’s invitation to formulate your vision of the Peekaboo bag?
MICHAEL LAU: This was the first time I worked with Fendi, and it was also the first time I designed an “artistic toy” for girls. I have always admired Fendi’s collaborative projects with artists and designers. It is a heritage brand with a long history, yet it never stops searching for cutting-edge technology and innovative ideas. With this invitation to create a piece of playful artwork from the iconic Peekaboo, I was given the opportunity to convey to the public the message that “All works of art are toys, and all toys are art.”
What were your sources of inspiration in terms of material and style for your project?
Peekaboo is a childhood game, in which you hide and reappear to surprise people. This goes together with the theme of my design— handbags are both toys and art for girls. Both concepts hail the child at heart. The design takes its cue from the materials and colors of toys, transforming the Peekaboo bag into pink and putting it into a form of traditional PVC blister packaging for toys. This echoes the “PackageChange” series in my latest exhibition “Collect them all!” and highlights the fun of artistic “toys.” Toys are works of art, no matter what your toys are—this has always been my motto. Through this collaboration with Fendi and the “Collect them all!” exhibition, I want to subvert the conventional views of toys and collectible artworks. I hope that my works can share the details of life with a sense of humor. Handbags are certainly toys that bring enjoyment to girls, and I encourage them to pursue pleasure, trying to “Collect them all!”
How did you manage to balance the freedom Fendi gave you and the fact of having a given physical base (the Peekaboo)?
For me, the Peekaboo bags are works of art. The whole collaboration is oriented towards art installation; the pink Peekaboo bag is appears in the form of a traditional PVC blister packaging for toys with a “priceless” label on it, speaking the mind of the collectors. I also include a humorous reinterpretation of the warning signs, for example, the sign of “ages +0” indicates it’s for all ages, and the sign of “warning” becomes “a gentle reminder.” The creation is indeed a fun-making process.
What does the Peekaboo bag represent in your opinion?
The super-clever hardware makes it such a versatile bag. It takes on many different sizes and styles in all its different versions, yet it is always recognizable as the Peekaboo. It’s a modern classic, in my opinion. For me, Fendi has always been associated with sublime craftsmanship and a passion for innovative design. Their fur collection in particular demonstrates their excellent technical prowess and unique creativity. Each and every piece of it can be compared to a work of art that lasts forever, an item to be admired for generations. I also appreciate Fendi’s devotion to creativity and innovation, such as the “F is For…” project that brings surprises to the art and culture of the younger generations. I associate this manifesto of “F is For…” with “Figure,” which gives rise to this “art toy-bag.”